Finish up "The Darkness"

Been a while since I updated. I almost forgot about it to tell you the truth.

For any of you who are wondering if I'm ever going to get the last parts up- I have them up. Just not here. I posted my entire story up on FanFiction.net

You can find it starting from the beginning here (For any who have never been to ff.net, you can skip chapters, so you won't be re-reading the entire thing.)

I hope you enjoy it!! It took long enough to write.

For right now, this blog is closed. But I might open it again if I have any more Uru/Yeesha/Myst inspired writings. So you might want to check back every so often. ^_~

- Miveen

Part 6 (3-4)

Well folkses, it's actually kind of sad for me to post this section. I have the most dreaded feeling that sooner then I ever dreamed of- this fic will be against canon in a large way. I guess that's the problem about writing fan-fic. Although I don't think I would trade having written this for anything.

If you have no clue what I am talking about check

here for the original - http://www.myst-tree.com/

and here for updates - http://www.kah-lab.com/URU/mysttree/

You can also check out all the conversations on MystCommunity, DPWR, UBI, Cyanworlds and Uru Obsession. The latter being where they really are obsessed and come up with some of the wildest theories, but I think at least one of them is right, judging by the update for today on myst-tree.

Oh, and then I've been meaning to post up another link that I used in order to form this story. As was found in The Path of The Shell, there were Yeesha (or Bahro) glyphs near the pool which you could only see when the glow started. Anyway, here is a link I used to keep my mind fresh on what the images looked like:

http://members.rogers.com/dreamerblue/yeesha_glyphs.html

I believe these were found a bit before The Path came out, but I still thought they were very good. Of course, I didn't follow them completely the way they came up with a story line going around them yet...you will still find some things that are the same since I worked very hard to make this as canon as possible, without knowing what the canon is!

Sorry about going on forever about nothing. Enjoy!

~

The Book Room of K’veer was an impressive chamber...The whole Book Room was like a giant spur, jutting from the main twist of the rock. There was a drop of ten spans between it and the surface of the lake below. Book of Ti’ana

Inside the circular chamber shelves lined the walls, stretching up to the very ceiling. In the golden age of D’ni those shelves would have been full of books; commentaries on the famous, ancient Ages that the family of that house would have owned. Now they were vacant, holding only dust like the six pedestals that stood before them. Those stone pedestals would have held the actual Age books themselves- shown off in pride to others in a silent boast of the family’s wealth and power.

But that was before the Fall of the D’ni.

Striding into the room, Yeesha hardly paused to look about her at the desolate Book Room or even glance out the two large windows which looked out over the lake. Instead she headed directly to the center pedestal and placed the large blue book she was carrying upon it.

She was dressed in a complete Maintainers suit, the close fitting fabric covering her body completely. Yeesha had still to put on the helmet which, although first soft to the touch, would harden the moment something pressed against it firmly. Checking herself over, she ensured that she had everything she would need. The suit should protect her from anything that might be harmful on the outside and the oxygen tank would provide her with fresh air in case the atmosphere became contaminated. Not that she was expecting anything to go as wrong as that.

Old habits die hard, she thought, pulling on different straps, checking they were securely fastened.

Her father, Atrus, had always drilled into her the importance of being safe whenever linking somewhere or doing something she wasn’t completely certain could hold no risks. Whenever he and his teams were investigating old D’ni books when they first returned to the city, he always insisted they use an E.V. suit- an extremely bulky, heavy suit which was practically indestructible. But it was also almost impossible to move in it. That was why Yeesha had chosen to wear the lighter weight Maintainers suit which was more practical for her build and needs.

Now everything was ready. She had the descriptive book in place, the thin linking book in her pocket and the suit was complete and its helmet on.

Taking a step nearer the pedestal with the blue book, she gazed down at it, hand hovering over the still blank panel. Once she linked there, the image would appear inside of it but until then, it was only a mass of swirling dark.

If I go, there will be no turning back...

Yeesha had worked months to perfect this book. Days and nights were taken pouring over other Ages to see the words they used, and forming and reforming her own thoughts and words till at last she could copy them down into the kortee’nea where the Age was described. Never had she once let on to the Nava what she was doing, only working on the book in the secrecy of the study in K’veer so that he would not know until after everything was done when he could no longer stop it. He was still working away in the Library, not suspecting she was about to take a link such as no one had ever taken before.

With a final movement Yeesha pressed her hand onto the panel and linked.

~

The great cavern was silent, as if empty of all other life. Only the faint, dull air-rhythm of the great fans could be hear, distant like a heartbeat. Book of Ti’ana

Yet the city was alive. Glowing lamplights and streetlights flickered all over the city. Few of the D’ni, cloaked and hooded, burying their faces in shadows, hurried about the empty streets following the orders of their secret plans. Inside houses, silhouetted figures moved slowly back and forth in front of windows, their voices faint murmurs in the dark.

"The city is alive," whispered Yeesha in pleasure.

Everything was different. Buildings she had only seen the crumbled ruins of, now stood erect, their forms more graceful and towering then she before imagined them as. Streets were complete, not cracked or with gaping wholes in them as she was used to. Everywhere the colors were vibrant, even in the dark of night, and even the few people hurrying on their ways felt as if the streets were crowded.

Yeesha took a few steps forward, her surprise making her suddenly hesitant. She had only dreamed of ever seeing D’ni living and throbbing as it once had. She never actually thought she would ever see it.

And here I am!

One pedestrian caught sight of her and for a moment, stood staring at her- bafflement emitting from their very stance.

Suddenly remembering what she was dressed in and why she was there, Yeesha bobbed her head to the person and slunk off down a dark alleyway. She shouldn’t have chanced standing there like that, in plain view of all D’ni. If for some reason they caught her here and brought her before The Five or The Council, things could go seriously wrong. It might even change the outcome of the Fall of D’ni.

Aitrus and Ti’ana!

Stopping dead in her tracks, Yeesha thought for a moment. She had always wanted to meet her great-grandfather and great-grandmother. Both of them died long before she was ever born, but the curiosity as to what they were like remained. Even Atrus had never met his grandfather, Aitrus, seeing as the man died shortly after the Fall. To meet or at any rate, see those two of her ancestors, would be amazing...

And risky, her mind reasoned with her.

Very risky in fact. That too might effect the outcome of D’ni which, if she messed around with too much, might even cause her to not be born. Or even Atrus to be born!

"I have to stick with my original plan," she ordered herself, resuming her walk. "Find Kadish and link back with him."

Yeesha nodded to herself, pleased. That was all she would do- no matter how tempting the other ideas might be- she would just find Kadish.

"Because that won’t change anything."

~

Break and Part 6 (1 and 2)

You know, I'm beginning to wonder if I can stick to a day I update. This is how many times I haven't updated on a Saturday? *sigh*

Enjoy!

Warning: Overactive imagination.

~

Break- K’veer

And my journey was similar. I could write things that the D’ni never dreamed of. My writing smashed barriers held as absolutes for millennium. I could change things; I could move things; I could control things. I learned beyond my parents. I learned beyond all. I wrote Ages against D’ni challengers, Masters of the Art, and they were beaten. I took all that I could hold.

You might think me wise and all powerful. And at that moment I did have all power- I could perform wonders through my words. I moved far beyond the teachings of my Nava... I moved far beyond everything...

But I was not wise. I was a foolish child who was given too much privilege too soon. I was not ready yet for my path...I was not ready yet to be set free...

So perhaps it was the Maker’s will what next happened. Or perhaps it was only my own folly.

Yet whatever the cause...I was not the only one who suffered from it.

~

Part 6- Kadish Tolesa

The vault hadn’t been opened in years.

Stepping carefully along the cracked and crumbling bridge that lead to the massive locked vault doors, Yeesha felt her heart beating rapidly in anticipation. For weeks now she worked hard to solve the different puzzles so obviously put in place to guard the Age’s precious secret. And now, finally, she had cracked them all. She knew she could have bypassed them, written her own words in the book to override the original author’s but...

I didn’t have a challenge in so long, she thought, remembering her own reasoning.

So instead she worked out the clues like any other person would have, slowly fitting each piece together till it at last made sense. The very experience was exhilarating. At times even she could feel her father beside her, giving her instructions, reminding her of past lessons and congratulating her when she solved one.

Now only a single puzzle remained to be cracked- the code to get inside the vault.

Studying the panel before her, Yeesha thought back over everything she had seen. This man, this Kadish, he constantly left clues for cracking his codes. It was only a matter of finding the clue that matched with the puzzle.

Where have I seen those pictures? she thought, fingering each button absentmindedly.

Yeesha reached into her bag and pulled out a thin notebook. Inside it were all her notes she made when last in the Gallery. At first the connection between the beautiful, haunting Gallery and the Age overrun by the very forests that supported it, eluded her. But it wasn’t for long.
Smiling to herself as she found what she was looking for, Yeesha punched in the code and looked up expectantly. Slowly the massive doors to the vault cracked open and Yeesha allowed herself a moment of triumph. She had done it! Just like she always knew she could.

Suddenly she could wait no longer to find out what the contents of the vault were. Darting up the stairs and into the heart of the vault, she almost tripped over her own feet by what greeted her eyes.

The vault had a huge interior yet with the amount of stuff crammed into it, it seemed only to be the size of a small bedroom like what could be found in the Jaren district in D’ni. But it wasn’t how small the vault seemed on the inside that caused Yeesha to halt in her tracks- it was what caused it to appear that way. Riches beyond anything she had ever seen! Great piles of it lay scattered about or piled along the edges; boxes, bags, crates, chests, rich tapestries and rugs all rolled up and crammed together in great heaps. The wealth took up all free space there was except for an empty section in the very middle.

Yeesha walked forward till she was in the extreme center of the vault and stared about her.
In the center of the vault also lay the bones of a man, a Guildmaster of the Writers judging by his rotting red cloak. He lay sprawled out on the floor, one fleshless hand stretched towards a linking book but never reaching the panel. Beside that, lay a note.

Squatting down, Yeesha reached over and picked up the note, careful so as not to damage it.

It read:

lerochai suhoy .mahnshootahvting mileshen zoo .yihm rahshahthom .dohahrtenen geh dofolesen kheveelaioy b’koozah .yeechtahvteeon rifeeneet sahethoy

.korvahkhtee keneet tomet roob ril bokoozah

.le’ehmee .ken tomet te biv roo miruh .rilrovchahnshentoen tah me zoo .bomahnshoo tomet to eest .to met kenen bahvahnin gah bojikahen bahvahnin

.khoy hevtee met dohooreet pahl rifoonemah roo ril kokino .ril komahnshoo te rildil .komahnshoo te bivdil .fitaiemah se tsosahtahvteeoy .pishoeet b’zoo bokeneet t’zoo tsahn

.shorah

tel nava kaidish

Yeesha glanced over at the skeleton again. So that was Guildmaster Kadish. The man who wrote the Age they were currently in. What a waste his life and death had been.

Placing her pack on the ground in front of her, Yeesha stuffed the note inside one of its larger pockets. She would have to look over the note more later. Right now she was certain her Nava would be waiting for her and she had promised to be back hours ago. The vault, Guildmaster Kadish and the note would have to wait till another time.

On final impulse though- before she linked away from that Age with her own linking book- Yeesha checked to see where the book led to that Kadish seemed to be reaching for. Blowing the dust off of the panel the faint glow grew stronger and more clear when at last she could see the active picture. It was the Gallery, the place where all Kadish’s hints lay.

Yeesha raised an eyebrow, half in mockery, half in disbelief, and said aloud,

"So that’s where you came from, Kadish."

Then, replacing the book, she used her own and linked out of the vault.

~

They stepped out, into the center of the veranda. There was a tiled roof overhead, but the view was open now on all four sides. All about them the lake stretched away, while in the distance they could see the great twisted rock of Ae’Gura and, to its right, the city. Book of Ti’ana

Yeesha had returned to K’veer. She had first linked home from Kadish Tolesa hours ago, the link placing her to the great library where her Nava still stayed. But she wasn’t able to remain there, especially after their heated conversation about her recent actions.

Sighing, Yeesha rested her elbows on the balcony ledge and looked out over the water. It was the D’ni night and the special plankton which lit the water and consequently D’ni, were sleeping, casting off only a faint glow now. Thirty hours- that was how long a day was in the cavern- thirty hours. Today she had been gone for twenty-five of them.

How Nava Devokan hated that, came her bitter thoughts.

Sometimes it was so hard for her to still realize that she was considered his student. Yeesha knew she had passed him, even knew he knew she had passed him! And yet he still insisted on her obeying and treating him like her teacher.

He has hardly anything to teach me now!!

Just a few old prophecies. Scrawling words printed into cracked and battered books. But Devokan insisted that she learn them and insisted that they spoke of her. Yeesha wasn’t certain though.

With a frustrated stamp of her foot, Yeesha spun about and stormed back into the mansion.
Devokan didn’t know what he was talking about. All his years were finally catching up with him leaving him blind and disillusioned, which was just as well. He might fare better if he left the ruins of D’ni for a while anyway. Maybe a trip to Releeshahn to visit other D’ni peoples would do him good. And it would leave her alone in the city to do what she liked.

Yeesha entered her bedroom and flopped down hard on her bed. The springs inside it caved in deeply sending her bag, where she had carelessly thrown it on the mattress, to roll on top of her. Moaning slightly, Yeesha shoved it off of her, fully annoyed at its having been there. It moved with a small clank and crackle of paper.

What in Yahvo’s name was that?

Sitting upright, Yeesha pulled the bag back towards her, pushing on it slightly to find the source of its noise. Another crackle of paper rewarded her investigation and hastily Yeesha opened the pocket to find out what exactly the noise was from. She pulled out an old, slightly yellowed piece of paper full of dark D’ni script.

"Oh, Kadish’s note," she muttered, spreading it out on her lap and smoothing out the creases.
She had forgotten about that with her argument with Devokan and all. Examining it again now, Yeesha began to wonder about the meanings and thoughts behind the note. Could Kadish have really meant this?

Reaching into her pack a second time, she pulled out her notebook, a pen and pot of ink. She was certain that Devokan had once talked about Kadish which was part of the reason she was so curious to see and solve his Age. But what was it that the Nava had said?

Finding her notes from her last lesson, Yeesha read over them quickly then looked back over at the note.

"That was right, Nava said you claimed to be the Grower."

She laughed softly to herself then. She had seen the Age Kadish claimed to write, visited it before heading to Tolesa. He and it were nothing but a fraud, nothing but a fake. Kadish didn’t have the power to write like she did, he only pretended that he did, he only put on a facade to make others think he could. Kadish wasn’t the Grower.

Taking up her pen, Yeesha dipped it into the ink well and scrawled on the note:

What kind of end is this?

To die with nothing, unlike what he believed. To have died a false man, a man of facades, a man of lies. He was alone in a vault of things- nothings.

Could he ever realize such failure?

Did Kadish see what a failure he was? Could Kadish not know how he was not the one to save or to lead the D’ni? And certainly not the one to grow the Tree. If only he could have been made to see that maybe his end would have come differently.

Suddenly, Yeesha paused, her jaw hanging limp with the new idea forming in her mind.

Show Kadish what he was. She could show him what he was not and teach him of what was to come. Maybe then his life would end better and not in failure.

But I can’t! her mind objected.

Yet who was to say she couldn’t? Devokan drilled into her how she was the foreseen Grower and the one all those prophecies spoke of. She had learned how to alter the linking books in ways no one ever thought possible. She was amazingly powerful. Who was to say she couldn’t write a link back to there- back to when Kadish was still living.

Glaring down at the note again, she scrawled half absentmindedly onto the very bottom of the page,

Impossible unless...

Unless she tried the new idea she had been working on over the past month, the one Devokan didn’t believe could work. But what did he know? He wasn’t nearly at her level and couldn’t write or think as she could. And she could do this.

I know I can, she decided.

Grinning madly, Yeesha propelled herself off of the bed and out the door, making for her study. It would only take some time and a little patience for her to write the linking book to get to where she wanted and once she did, eyes would be opened.

~

Any mistakes in the D'ni words come from me copying them down wrong. Not from the translation itself. Sorry if there are. If you spot them, let me know and I will get them fixed.

~

Letter:

Translation ( [ ] speculation ( ) untranslated D’ni word):

I have [reached] my end. Death(ting) (milesh)es me. I [see] its (rahshahth). It is (hahrten)ing [watching] and (foles)ing [watching] for my (veelal) [guard] to [falter]. Its (veechtahv)s (rifeen) my (saheth).

Linking books are here, but I will not [falter].

I have [triumphed, won]. I am here with all that I would [want, desire].
Nobody [can] take it from me. I will die here with [them]. This place is [secured] and it will [remain] [secured].

[If] these words are found (pahl) [please] (rihfoonemah) [realize, understand] I would not (kokino) [leave]. I did not die with nothing. I died with everything. (fitalernah) (se) of my (sahtahv)s. They [belong] to me and will be with me forever.

Peace.

Guildmaster Kadish

Break and Part 5

Shorah all! So sorry about not updating this on the Saturdays like I said I would. I mean, Christmas was this Saturday so...you can't really hold me to that one. But I should have updated the week before. *headdesk* Thanks for the reviews though!! You have no idea how even one sentence about this story makes my day. ^_^

Alright. Again I have given you all of the part (what are we up to now- 5? Wow. Half way done.)

Words translated on DLF for me. All translated at the bottom.

And these upcoming parts are where my creativity has gotten a little wild. I just hope it isn't too wild.

Enjoy!

~

Break- K’veer

From afar the city had seemed like an amorphous mass of stone. From close up, however, it revealed an intricacy and variety that was astonishing. Even the color of the stone changed as the eye traveled up that vast bowl of jumbled architecture, the lowest levels slate gray or a dull red-brown, the higher levels the same black streaked with red that was used for the island mansions and the Inner Gate. Book of Atrus

We entered the city. Like Atrus and Ti’ana before that, so I came into D’ni full of wonder...unsure of what next I would see...or learn.

My teacher, my path- all things were beginning now. All things were forming now. And, following in the footfalls of the ones who came many ages before me, it was formed in the darkness of the cavern.

~

Part 5- The Library

Libraries hold the writings of man
Hearts hold the truth of the Maker.
"Words" Section 2

They were at the great library of the D’ni. Craning her neck to see the top of the structure, Yeesha admired its elegance and form. Such a beautiful building meant to hold the jewel of the D’ni society and define what it was.

The Master was a few steps in front of her, leading the way to the library along the cracked and stone littered paths. She wasn’t entirely sure why he would be bringing her here. The Library had been emptied out by Atrus and the others of his teams long before she was born, taking the books to read over in hopes that there might be a few survivors left. Before them, Gehn had come along, likewise collecting his fair share of books and taking also the blank books to use in his mad plan of restoring the D’ni pride.

But she was bound to trust the Master. Her decision had been made all those hours ago and now she had no option but to follow him and trust in what he was doing.

The Library door opened readily, not being locked, and Yeesha wondered if the Master had been staying in the city for a long time waiting for her. Maybe even making the Library his home.

Inside the Library only a few lamps were burning and, with the thick walls blocking even the faintest of sounds from the outside, the silence grew deeper, broken only by the sound of Yeesha’s boots hitting the floor and the Master’s soft shuffling. He continued to lead her onward, down the circular stairwell which seemed to stretch into infinity, till at last they rounded a final curve and reached the bottom level.

Here the air was damp and cold and the stone walls glistened from the moisture that covered them. And in one corner, a table had been set up. It was littered with books, papers and pots of ink, some capped others open, and thin pens used in the writing of Ages. Around that table, lay piles of books, the special ones, brazen with gold lettering on their spines telling the name of each Age whose descriptions were contained therein.

The Master walked up to the desk and began moving papers, as if searching for something in particular. Yeesha watched him for a minute but soon her attention was captured by the books that lay about her. Each book was so much more beautiful then any she had seen before. Their covers were all the deepest shade of whatever dye had been used on them and each bore gold lettering. Back on Tomahna her father had plenty of books but none as marvelous as these. His bore plain covers, or the few that were more elaborate, such as Releeshahn, didn’t have colors that were half as vibrant like these were.

Stooping over, Yeesha lifted a book from the top of a pile and opened it. The graceful D’ni words that seemed as if to be burned into the white page, greeted her eyes as she began to read.

Descriptions; vivid, alive, detailed, poetic, complete, consuming...

Wrong...

Shocked, Yeesha blinked twice and read the phrase over again.

No, that can’t be!

That phrase, what it described, it wasn’t possible! Even she, who had broken what was law for all D’ni Masters before her, knew that what this book spoke of couldn’t happen. It would defy every truth and belief ever formed.

But here it is, in this Age.

A hand rested on her shoulder. Yeesha looked over into her master’s face, knowing her eyes to be full of questions and wonder.

"How?" she whispered, lifting a hand slightly to point at the book in question.

"Because what was thought as truth were merely lies."

It was a cryptic answer which did little to help her. Returning her gaze to the book, Yeesha could feel the confusion in her multiply to an almost unbearable level.

It still didn’t make sense. How? How could he have done that? How could it be possible?

"Link there and you will see," Nava said, gently squeezing her shoulder.

Flipping to the last page of the book, she stared at the linking panel. It was live; the small window showing but a glimpse of the Age that awaited her. Still...

She looked once more to the Nava’s face for guidance and assurance.

"Remember you agreed to leave behind all you once knew," he admonished her. ".kenem'nea lonem regestoy."

And taking her hand, he placed it on the linking panel.

~
For a moment it was as if she were melting, fusing with the ink and paper, and then, with a suddenness that was shocking, she was herself again, in her own body. Book of Ti’ana

Yeesha was back in the library. She stood, blinking, eyes adjusting to the dimness of the light compared to where she, just a moment ago, had been.

She still could scarcely believe what she had seen. It defied everything, it clashed with everything, it was unbelievable.

The Nava was sitting in a chair by the desk, writing in a book. Approaching, Yeesha leaned against the table to stare into his face.

"Teach me to write like that," was all she said.

He regarded her closely, as if contemplating her and what he should give as an answer to such a request.

Finally he spoke, his voice soft and almost wondering.

"Oh young one, you will learn to write so much more then that. Much more then even I can obtain. That which you just saw will become but simple thing for you to write, for the marvels you will create will be unlike any before you and, very likely, any who come after you."

Taking a step back, Yeesha stared down at the floor, absorbing what he just said and attempting to understand it. Her thoughts flew from one word to another. She was to be great. The girl who years upon years ago once sat watching the stars dance in a pool, wondering what her life was to be and what she was to do, would become a name long remembered. Her name was to be written down with the names of the other men and women who were so influential in the shaping and molding of D’ni.

Me!

Tilting her head sideways to gaze at the Nava, she said,

"I want to learn it all. Teach me everything you can. I want to learn it all."

As the Master watched her, she thought for a moment a look of regret crossed his face but the next instant it was gone and he was pointing towards another chair by his own.

"Very well, young one."

Yeesha smiled then as she sat. She was to do it- she would take on the very power of the Masters.

And there is no reason for me to stop...

~

.kenem'nea lonem regestoy- You are empty, discover the Art.

~

Oh, and yes, I too hope that they show us more about Yeesha and the Bahro in the next Myst game. Or at some point in time. Although, as you will soon see, I have left more of the Bahro part to the reader's own mind. I focused more on other things...not to give too much away though!

Part 4 (3-4)

Wow! I am updating today!! I almost can't believe I met my goal. Hope you all enjoy this part.

About the translations though- turns out I gave the DLF a bit of trouble with trying to find out how to translate some of these things. Weren't some of the words. So, till there are, I am using the ones down below- almost fitting and yet, sometimes, not. ^_^

--

It was several house hard walking through the labyrinth of twisting tunnels before they finally came to the eder tomahn. The D’ni way station was built into a recess of a large cave, its black, perfectly finished marble in stark contrast to the cave’s natural limestone. Book of Atrus

Stumbling wearily through the open door into the eder tomahn, Yeesha sought out the first bunk she could find and let herself fall face first into it. The bunks were hardly what she would call soft but after the tremendous hike she had made, her exhausted body wasn’t complaining.

It was such a long way down to reach the city. She didn’t wonder that Ti’ana grew lost when she was first stumbling down into the city. The path was vague at best, twisting and turning thousands of times with even more choices of interlinked tunnels with never a clear guide as to which one. Even with the map.

Forcing herself to roll over, Yeesha pulled the leather bound notebook out of her pocket. It was an ancient thing, twice as old as herself and maybe even more. The notebook was the very same one her great-grandfather, Aitrus, had used to provide a way for his wife and young son to escape the destruction of the city. Inside was the carefully drawn map he had created while even the disease ate away at him and he stumbled around in the dark striving to save what little was left to him- his family.

"They are dead. Everyone...dead. My father...I buried him. And D’ni...D’ni is ended. But there is a way out. Through the tunnels. I mapped it. My notebook..." Book of Ti’ana

Yeesha closed her eyes and let her hands and the notebook fall to rest on her stomach.

So many lives, so much destruction. So much pain, hurt, death, ruin and all their destruction and...

".fehnah chaiehts "

Yeesha’s eyes snapped open and she stared wildly about the eder tomahn. There he was again, Devokan, watching her from the base of the bunk. But before she could speak, he raised a hand like before, this time pointed at her saying,

".kenen gor .kehnehmah trehpahts"

And then he was gone, just as the time before. Not linking, not walking... merely gone.

Still staring at the spot that he was up till a moment ago occupying, Yeesha wondered what was going on. Twice an unknown man appears before her and admonishes her to travel to D’ni. But why? What was down there besides the ruins of the once great civilization? What reason could he have that required her to come to D’ni.

"It is time...be at the city..." she murmured to herself, echoing the man’s words.

It was time- time for what?

Rolling back onto her side, Yeesha curled herself up into a ball. Whatever it was time for, she would find it in D’ni but to get there she would have to sleep. And yet, even as she was close to falling into a complete slumber the words of Devokan still lingered with her.

...kenen gor...it is time...

~

Facing him was an enormous valley, six miles across and ten broad, its steeply sloping shores descending to a glowing orange lake that filled at least half the valley’s floor. At the center of that lake was a huge island, a mile or more in width, two twisted columns of rock pushing up from that great tumulus to soar more then a mile into the air Beyond that, to its right, the great rock walls were curiously striped, regular tiered levels of colored stone reaching up into the shadows overhead...Within those levels great pools of orange water glowed. Book of Atrus

Yeesha couldn’t help staring in awe as she stepped into the cavern. There it was, the great city of the D’ni, now in ruins but with an air of power and might still lingering hundreds of years after its Fall. That the D’ni people could build such an amazing structure, fashion it right out of the living rock and mold it to their every needs could not help but impress and create marvel.

They did nothing small, she thought with a slight smile.

Glancing one last time at the massive city before her, Yeesha turned herself and headed down towards the small harbor. There she knew one of the D’ni boats would be moored- one of the few salvaged by the group who had long ago tried to rebuild the city. They, led by her father, attempted what could not, and even should not, be done- building a new D’ni out of the old. And because they learned this, they left the city again to lie in its decay. From there, they moved to Releeshahn to start over and grow. But still, a few would return to the city, visiting it as it were to remember the dead.

Then others, like herself, felt constantly called to D’ni as if it longed to teach them something. As if a voice laying buried in the rubble was asking them to help it. Reveal what it was; become no longer hidden and unseen but alive and vibrant...seen.

Shaking her head in confusion at these new thoughts, Yeesha paused mid-stride and stared again at the great city.

What was I thinking?

Whatever it was, she couldn’t understand it. She had certainly never thought of such an idea before! Yet, sometimes D’ni had that effect on her causing her to think of ideas before alien to her.

Sighing from both weariness and confusion, she was about to continue on when she spotted a shape moving towards her, up from the harbor. Small and slightly bent over yet with the keen aura of power and knowledge it could only be him.

".thoe kenem, nava," said Yeesha when he was within hearing range. She had decided during her long hike down the tunnels that anyone who could do things such as which he seemed capable of must be a Master of the Art. Or if not that, then some other great power. Because of that revelation, she would afford him every respect like he deserved.

".shorah b’shehm, Yeesha. I am well," he answered, stopping before her.

She wasn’t surprised that he knew her name- somehow she could tell he would. It was almost as if he had been waiting for her all his life and just knew ever detail about her.

A smile softly creased itself into his face, the wrinkles around his eyes deepening and reforming with the movement.

"Your intuition is quick, young one."

"Thank you, Nava."

"And yet," he continued, reaching out and brushing a leathery soft hand across her face, "I sense an emptiness about you."

Startled, Yeesha glanced quizzically into his face, searching for an answer.

Why do you say that? she wanted to know. Is it so obvious I am not whole? Can you not fix it?

"What you seek," said the master with a small shake of his head, "I can only show you but a glimpse, you must take it yourself. It is you who must accept what you are."

"First I must be shown..." she supplicated, knowing suddenly he was what would point her down her path. He was the only one who could show her where her destiny lay.

"I will," he replied. "But you must make your first choice now if you would find your way. I will warn you- this choice is not easy. Yet if you seek the path the Maker has laid before you, then you must make it. So, the choice is this: give up all that you have learned, all that you know and come and learn what I would have you see. Or... hold tight to those things which you now understand and even love, and return from where you came."

The cavern was silent. A faint mist drifted on the surface of the water, underlit by the dull orange glow that seemed to emanate from deep within the lake. Book of D’ni

In the silence, Yeesha stared at the man before her, thoughts running madly in her head. What he was asking her to do, what he was forcing her to decide, was worse then anything she had yet experienced. Such a terrible option; give up all she had held close for her life or learn whatever it was he could offer her.

How can I make such a choice?! she thought angrily. Lose and yet gain versus keep and lose...

"Have I no other option?" she asked, praying that there was. But the Master only shook his head no.

Oh Yahvo!

Yeesha shifted her feet agitatedly. It was all here, all at this moment. Everything she ever wanted was within her grasp- but she had never thought it would be accompanied like this.
In frustration, she glanced across the waters again. There stood D’ni, waiting...either to bring her home or reveal its secrets. She could see all the spindly, spires of the islands which surrounded it, could even faintly make out Kerath’s Arch rising in welcome, waiting for her to enter through it just as it had for so many others before her.

Suddenly Anna’s words, the ones she had told Yeesha the day of their returning to Tomahna from the Cleft, echoed loudly in her mind. "You learn to write better then anyone else. You learn everything. You have to do it- for all of us."

I have to do it for all of them.

Facing the Master once more, Yeesha raised her chin in determination and said,

"I choose to learn the Art. I choose to follow my path."

~

.fehnah chaiehts- Faulty story. (Or, as I used it, stories, although the literal translation come out as story. Also, fault is related more for a geological fault but it was bent a little to fit. )

.kenen gor- It is time

.kehnehmah trehpahts- Be at the city.

thoe kenem, nava- How are you, Master?

shorah b’shehm- Peace to you.

nava- Master

Break and Part 4 (1-2)

I'm avoiding my homework like the plague right now. Meh. But, updating for you all- so you should be happy!

Thanks for the comment on the other part, Toria. I'm glad you like it so far!

As for the D'ni phrases in this part- of which I am only giving you the first two sections of, mwahaha- they come courtesy of the D'ni Linguistic Fellowship. Without them I couldn't have gotten this done! Link below:

http://linguists.bahro.com/forums/index.php?act=idx

Translations are at the bottom.

--

Break- K’veer

And as he did, a man stepped from within that glistening whiteness, seeming for a moment almost to be a part of it; a tall unearthly figure with a large forehead and a strong, straight nose, over the bridge of which were strapped a pair of glasses identical to Atrus’s own. A white cloak flapped out behind the stranger, giving him the appearance of some great mythical king. Book of Atrus

Just as Gehn had appeared suddenly at the Cleft bringing Atrus down to D’ni to teach him, so my own Teacher suddenly appeared. My Teacher inspired no fear unlike what Atrus felt towards Gehn. He left no painful words to linger in the Cleft forever; he did not pressure; he did not fight...he only was.

And through that- all he needed to be.

~

Part 4- The Volcano

She hadn’t expected to find it. Picking up the envelope, Yeesha studied the handwriting. It was her father’s- she was certain of it. The letter had been stuck between her mattress and the stone wall where it must have slipped.

When had he been here?

Breaking open the seal she searched for a date, but couldn’t find one. He must have left it when she was with the Wind People but she hadn’t noticed any signs of anyone having been in the Cleft during her absence.

Then again, Father is very careful...

Yeesha sat down on the bed and turned the letter over in her hand. She wanted to savor the moment- it had been so long since any contact with her parents. It wasn’t till now that she realized just how fully she missed them.

Turning the paper around once more, she finally started reading.


Our dearest Yeesha,

Last night your mother had a dream...

We know that some futures are not cast, by writer or Maker, but the dream tells that D'ni will grow again someday. New seekers of D'ni will flow in from the desert feeling called to something they do not understand.

But the dream also tells of a desert bird with the power to weave this new D'ni's future. We fear such power - it changes people.

Yeesha, our desert bird, your search seems to take you further and further from us. I hope that what you find, will bring you closer.

-Your father, Atrus


Smiling faintly, Yeesha pressed the letter to her lips. Her dear father; her dear, dear father. She should have known that he would check on her at some point to ensure she was safe.

But, what did the letter mean?

Now puzzled, Yeesha read the note again, trying to understand what the dream was supposed to tell her. New seekers from the desert...others would come to D’ni? But who? And why would she be the one to lead them?

Or is it really me?

Staring at the letter one more time, she gently set it down on a small table then stood up. Standing in the doorframe, she gazed out at the inside of the Cleft, now darkening in the failing light of the sun.

There was more green growing along the walls then when she first came. She had worked hard, just as Anna had, to grow food and had taken advantage of the small crooks and crannies that Anna had carved out or expanded upon. Yeesha had also added some of her own nature carvings to the walls as well as reshaping the dulling ones done by Anna.

Maybe it was time for her to leave. The years had ticked by faster then she had realized and there was family and friends who she missed more then anything and must be anxious to see her themselves.

A single ray of light cut down across the top of Cleft; flashing brilliantly one moment then vanishing the next.

Maybe it was time to leave. Maybe her path would be revealed to her elsewhere.

Maybe...

Nodding her head slowly, Yeesha turned back to the room. She would go home tomorrow.

~

In the blistering heat of the late afternoon sun, faint wisps of sulfurous steam rose from tiny fumaroles in the volcano’s mouth, coiling like a dancer’s veils in that shadowy dark beneath the edge before they vanished in the intense glare above. Book of Atrus

Adjusting the pack on her back to a more comfortable position between her shoulder blades, Yeesha glanced upwards for just a moment. The sun was bright and left spots in her vision when she looked away. Yeesha had meant to leave earlier but packing and closing up the various rooms in the Cleft had taken longer then anticipated.

It’s not like I’m on a schedule though, she thought as she slung one foot into the basin.

She had to be very careful here, just as her father had always said. There was no true way to predict what the ground was going to be like when you put your full weight upon it. It might seem fine one moment and become deadly the next.

Yeesha dug her booted toes into the ground to make a new foothold. Tinny rocks spilled down into the volcano as she dug her foot in deeper, making certain that she would not slip.

Her progress was slow. Normally, if she was just exploring or checking on her experiments, she would have had a rope attached to her waist, ensuring that she would not fall too far if the rocks crumbled without warning. This time though, because she was not coming back up, she hadn’t the safety rope about her waist.

If Father caught me doing this he would be furious, came the rueful thought.

Maybe it was because of that thought that inadvertently caused Yeesha to slow her pace. Otherwise she could have been down into the center of the basin within a matter of moments. Instead it took her close to twenty minutes.

She could feel the beads of sweat forming on her brow beneath her protective head covering, which shielded her from the acute glare of the sun. Reaching up a hand she was about to wipe them away when she paused. Her hand was covered in dirt and silt from her climb down. Yeesha studied her hand for a moment then shrugged and completed her movement.

Now it was only a matter of finding the tunnel among the various vents. It shouldn’t be too hard but it was some time since she had looked for the tunnel leading home.

Yeesha walked forward carefully picking her way among the lava rocks. The mist swirled around her, obscuring her view but she wasn’t worried about it- she was used to it enough now to not let it bother her.

It was a cave. Or a tunnel of some kind. Book of Atrus

Smiling as she spotted it, Yeesha scrambled over a few more rocks before finally enter the cool, dark of the tunnel. She then stood for a moment enjoying the soft breeze against her face. Then, once she was feeling refreshed, Yeesha reached into her bag for a firemarble and, tapping it till it came to life, held it aloft to stare about the enclosed space.

Where it is?

She knew it was a frivolous thing to do, searching for the D’ni word carved into the tunnel’s entrance. But for some unknown reason, she always had to find it and run her hands along the deep groves of the elegant letters.

Just then, the bright light of the firemarble caught the edge of what she was looking for- seeping into the edges of the carving before reflecting on and away from it. Moving forward so that she was inches away from the wall, Yeesha placed a hand upon the cool surface of the stone in the very center of the carving.

This word. One that Atrus had found when he still didn’t believe in the D’ni. This word that changed him...formed a new life for him down in the cavern.

Breathing deeply, Yeesha traced one finger in and out of the letters.

"It’s beautifully carved. But, do you know what it means?"

Yeesha jumped and spun around in the same movement at the sound of the new voice.

Who in Yahvo’s name was that?!

"Who’s there?" she called into the deeper end of the tunnel, holding the firemarble aloft and straining her eyes to see into the dark.

A man stepped forward, the shadows melting around him as he moved with a simple, fluid grace closer towards her. He seemed old, wrinkles ingrained strongly on his face and pure silver hair which reflected the yellow light, muting it slightly. But the hand which gripped her arm, pulling it down along with the firemarble, was strong and firm and his eyes, as he stared into her’s, were not glossed over but instead emitted a sense of wisdom and keen whits.

"I am Devokan," came the gentle reply.

Surprised Yeesha couldn’t stop herself from exclaiming, automatically translating the D’ni word,

"Hope!"

A slow smile, one that reminded Yeesha of the sun finally consuming the dark in the early morning, spread across the man’s face.

"Very good young one, you know D’ni."

Breaking out of his grasp, Yeesha took a step backwards and straightened her back stiffly.

"I am D’ni," she said. His words had burned her and she could feel her resentment flare up and her face flush in reaction.

"Ah," was all that the man said in response to this though. Then Devokan turned and stared out of the entrance to the tunnel, as he did, raising one hand and making the motion of a circle, leaving a gold reflection in the air.

Fascinated, Yeesha stared at him, watching his every movement, eyes not believing how he could create light out of nothing.

Finally, Devokan turned back to her and pointed, with the same hand that had just traced a circle in the air, down into the heart of the tunnel.

".lenah," he whispered. ".bodokehn trehpahts"

~

lenah- journey

.bodokehn trehpahts- I will be at the city.

--

*mock drama*

What will happen next? Will Yeesha ever reach the City? Will she ever find her Path? And who is this mysterious man and what does he want with her?

Find out next time in The Darkness...

Break and Part 3

Sorry about that long break. *headdesk* College doesn't like updates for stories. Nope- frowns on them.

So, because of that, gave you all the whole third part. May you enjoy.

...going to have to set dates up that I will update this on...

--

Break- K’veer

And so I learned how to write. I found that through words I could soar...I could rise above what I had believed was set in stone. So I stretched my wings and flew...I flew higher then any before me...I became one with the sky.

But the sky has the sun in it. The sun with rays which burn if you soar too close. I had yet to learn that though-I was young and overflowing with knowledge.

I ignored the threat of the sun. Instead I returned to the Cleft to find my place...to find my path.

Many paths have brought me to this place. The path of my great grandmother, bringer of destruction. The path of my grandfather, rebuilder of pride. The path of my mother, writer of dreams. And of my father, of my dear father, the caretaker of burdens. And I knew that at the end of such great paths must lay a great purpose. I returned to the Cleft to find it.

~

Part 3- The Cleft

"Your best? And how good was you best? This hole in the ground you call a home? Is this your best?" Book of Atrus

The words Gehn had spoken in a furry, trying to hurt Anna, mingled and swarmed with other past conversations and sounds; haunting the place. Some of the sounds were pleasant- a child’s ringing laughter- but others, such as the howls of anguish which issued from Gehn at the death of his wife, drew pain in with the joy. Ghosts of the past still lingered; all of them, bringing the delights and sorrows from their previous lives.

Yeesha had returned. Ducking into the kitchen, she breathed in deeply the cool air. It felt so good to be back here again. In the past three years, she had spent her days on Tomahna, at the library of Chroma’Agana and even occasionally on Releeshahn learning the Art. But always she wanted to come back to the Cleft. Finally, she was done and free to come here.

If one can ever say they are done learning about the Art, she thought.

She of all people should know that, having just finished writing an Age which astounded even Atrus. Her Age had been far and away above Atrus’ or even Katran’s talents. Yeesha had broken rule after rule that the D’ni Masters had set down; she had written her own rules.
Grinning, Yeesha remembered her parent’s looks when she presented them with Relto, the special Age she had written just for them. And then once they linked to it...

She had placed everything just where it should be. Including the library which was so special to her father. It was something Yeesha had always wanted to do for them, yet once she finished, she left. Once she completed that purpose she left to find her greater purpose. Her full reason for being here- and the only place Yeesha could think to do that was at the Cleft.

Walking forward, Yeesha reached out a hand and stroked the smooth surface of the table.

Learn to consider the Whole Father always told her. Well- she was considering the Whole now. Somehow this small gash in the earth connected all things together.

"Always look at the interrelatedness of things, and remember that the "Whole" of one thing is always just a part of something else, something large." Book of Atrus

She was standing there, considering the wisdom of Anna’s instructions when suddenly her stomach gave a particularly loud rumble.

"Wise instructions in that too!" she said laughing. It had been almost two days since she had last eaten so eager she was to get here. Before she could eat though she would have to unpack and draw water from the pool. Another loud rumble from her stomach seemed to her as if it was a prompting to get going then. Chuckling again, Yeesha began to busy herself in preparation for dinner.

~

I see stone and dust and ashes. Book of Ti’ana

I sit out on the desert again. It is just past sunset but there is a full moon so I can see enough to write this entry. Before me lays that vast emptiness of never ending sand. Ti’ana described there being a city far away from the Cleft and there are (or were) the traders that used to pass by here when my father was young both coming and going to other places in this Age. But when I sit out here with only the moon for company, I wonder if there is anything out there.

There is nothing out here.

I have stayed here, on the surface, for many years- one of which was spent with my friends, the Wind People. Their ways were peaceful and simple, they strove to live as one with nature...it was an experience that I shall never forget. Or regret. I only wish I might have stayed longer yet the Cleft called to me.

Since I returned here I have stayed at the Cleft for two years never seeing another person, human or otherwise. Occasionally I will spot a desert bird flying above the sand far off on the horizon but they never come near the Cleft. I suppose it is because they know there is nothing to hunt here. Nothing at all in fact.

Only a crazy D’ni woman waiting.

That previous phrase has reminded me of a line from an old prophecy.

-Time draws a jagged line upon the sand
In which the women waits.- Book of D’ni

Ti’ana...or me?

Today I again explored the volcano. Climbing over the rocks and up the steep ledges gives me something else to think about besides the unnumerable questions which constantly rush about my mind. I have no answers to any of them and fear that I might never.

No. I am slipping away into despair again. I cannot do that. I will force myself to focus on the present.

The tree by the pool continues growing. I remember how surprised I was when I first returned to the Cleft to find it taller then me already. Now it is almost twice my size! It is not at all as full as the trees on Releeshahn being instead scraggly and scrawny, but it is strong and will withstand whatever the desert throws at it.

I have thought about writing another Age but I am reluctant to do so. I am not even sure why seeing as it would give me something to do through my long hours of unoccupation.

Sometimes I wonder how Anna ever managed to occupy herself here especially after having lived in D’ni for so many years. I suppose taking care of Gehn and my father helped but what about the stretch of time during which Gehn was gone? How could she stand it?

Every time I look up at the sky I can’t help but wonder what ‘time’ I am at and where my parents are. Are they in this ‘time’ or some other? As Aitrus explained it to Anna and my father to me:

"These Ages are worlds that do exist, or have existed, or shall. Providing the description fits there is no limitation of time and space. The link is made regardless." Book of D’ni

But I still wonder where that puts each of us. Am I living before my parents? Or are they living at the same time? Are they struggling somewhere else in their ‘time’ as their younger selves against Gehn while also living in their current selves peacefully on Relto? Is my future self performing some deed while I am here writing in this journal?

Ah, but pondering the Great Tree of possibility will get me nowhere and now the moon is directly above my head reminding me of how late it is.

~