Everlight

There weren’t always dragons in the Valley.

However, nature did what it does best; surprise us.

One day back in 2054, sudden and ruthless disasters commenced and continued uninterrupted, wiping out billions of people in mere days. Every weapon in Earths arsenal abruptly launched in natural form, from raging hurricanes to monsoons, deadly earthquakes, eruptions and droughts, ruthless electrical storms, forest-fires and more raining down upon all continents. Complete chaos leaving cities destroyed and islands underwater, deserts and savannahs barren, glaciers melted, forests burnt to nothing and jungles sunken or overrun by swamps and marshlands.

Ultimately, it made life for those that survived immensely difficult. No one had predicted a phenomenon would wipe out 99.9999999% of human population by the mid-twentieth century. A few million people remaining; give or take. Most animals and fish on the brink of extinction beforehand, disappointingly because of government failure to protect the environment, meaning species of all sorts perished too. Civilization’s fruitless and corrupt systems choosing to put materialism and personal pleasures ahead of properly resourcing and tending to natural riches...

You’d think with how advanced technology was, someone would have figured out and prevented such occurrences, nonetheless predicted Earth’s tantrum. Instead, all that fancy tech stuff was used to control and have power over each other.

Ma always said that Indigenous peoples had it right by embracing the land, and conveyed that nature gave us everything we needed to thrive and we ran it straight into the ground by mining it for all that it was worth and moving on. She also believed if women had found a way to lead, humanity might have had a real chance at success.

Anyway, my family and I were some of the survivors of 2054. Sam was four at the time, me five. Both my sister and I were quite young, yet old enough to recall our mother saying the only reason we endured, was because she knew earlier on that Earth would fight back and attempt to purge its body of mankinds’ poisonous ways. When it started happening, we immediately left the city and went to a friend’s farm hoping to ride it out and make it through. Truly, it’s all thanks Aunty Aly who welcomed us without falter in her sturdy tornado bunker out in the country. A couple weeks of safely avoiding endless shitstorms within was all it took for everything to change drastically.

Including Ma.

Shortly after things somewhat settled down, she started having nightmares and still to this day, I’m not sure what she saw. Whatever it was, had led her to leave us and disappear for half a year with a promise to return with magic and indeed she did. Maisie Darrow wildly hitching a ride on the back of a River dragon and surprising us at dawn, 230 days later. She was missing her left arm too, which was almost as much as a shocker as the mythical creature that oozed intelligence and enchantment.

Not long following that, more dragons appeared, some settling with the other in Rose Valley, along with other forms of myth and legends such as unicorns and griffins, mermaids, centaurs, fauns and more. Even beasts of the darker and grimmer type too emerged from time to time, like basilisk and gorgons, trolls, goblins and ghouls… to be honest, it’s crazy to think that such things use to be mainly fantasy and lore, considering I’ve spent much of my life growing up surrounded by it. Imagining a world without them all is almost impossible for me, though I suppose twenty-four years of learning to relatively live in harmony does that to a person.

Of course, it didn’t come without hard work, tough lessons and inconceivable grief. Sam and I loosing Ma over ten years ago. Neither of us ready for it, just barely stepping into adulthood at the time when we three ventured too far from our mapped grounds and unfortunately stumbling into a wendigo’s territory. Its unexpected and unforeseen attack coming as a scare. And while prepared for an incidence of that sort, in the moment we failed to be quick enough, Mom falling to a fatal wound within an hour. Despite killing the gluttonous monster, nothing eased the pain and sorrow of her death… especially since there was a lot she had left to explain and teach us.

Like how did she accurately know about the natural catastrophes twenty-five years ago?

And where did she go for all those months afterwards?

We assume it had something to do with the abrupt presence of transcendental species, but why did she always say to Sam and me, “your parts to play will come when She needs you most.”?

Who is this She and when will that time come?

What was so hard about telling us the truth?

For years, my sister and I have asked ourselves these same questions, constantly wondering if it was all an elaborate ruse by mom to keep us moving forward, because Maisie Darrow really had no clue what would come next. I mean, how could she?

There is no way Ma knew that by May of 2078, Earth in all its glory would be on the brink of death. Whatever magic she brought back all those years ago was not enough to save it from ruin. Decay slowly taking over the lands piece-by-piece and snuffing out what little wildlife remains, as our previously diminishing race decreases daily due to famine, illness and being a main course for several behemoths that roam our dying planet these days.

As it happens, the wise and mystic dragons we’ve come to rely on for guidance cannot stop its fate either. Their abilities only going so far to help nature flourish and recover from mankind destroying it. Be that as it may, every single one left us with the same message as Ma did: your part to play will come when She needs you most.

Once again left without a clear answer on what we’re going to do, Sam and I are at our wits end… okay, that’s a lie. It’s mostly me whose had enough now. I’m tired of the endless travelling and near-death escapades we’ve been repeatedly putting ourselves through the last fifteen months. I know she wants to find the gold and green lighthouse from her dreams of late, however, after nearly loosing my head to a basilisk yesterday, I’m about ready to throw in the towel.

Currently, we’re camped out in another chilly cave on the west coast of what use to be North America. It’s mid-spring now and no amount of fire has proven to dry my always damp clothes; the rain consistent this time of the year here, always misting, no matter day or night and never seeming to stop entirely.

We haven’t been around these parts since our early twenties when finally deciding to leave our home and see the ocean. A promise to do so with Mom, but seeing as she died, we had to go without her. In all honesty, I genuinely believe she was there in spirit and forever is, wherever we journey. Kind of like a guardian deity or a spiritual good-luck charm.

How else have could we have managed to avoid numerous lethal situations?

Sure, we’ve been training since the start of all this, nevertheless, that doesn’t explain the strange coincidences and mishaps that have transpired in our absolute time of need. For example, 6 years ago when we ended up cornered by a pack of chupacabras out south and there was nowhere to run, then suddenly a few griffins turned up with a hankering for the ugly sons-of-bitches.

Or when Sams’ belt loop snagged a rock and managed to prevent her from falling down a 100ft cliff in the midst of dodging that giant blood-thirsty bat thing. ‘The Dracubat’ is what we dubbed it, still not sure of its origins.

There was also that time we both got bite by that venomous snake and were on the verge of death, miraculously collapsing in that field of flowers with unicorns. Their unihorn our saving grace.

All of it was Ma. It just had to be. Being that fortunate seems unlikely, particularly, in this day and age.

May 14th, 2078.

Gwen Darrow

The almost thirty-year-old smiling amid closing the notebook, putting it within a secret pocket on her ratty, worn-out green vest along with the black pen. Gwen ecstatic to have an opportunity to write down some of hers and Sams’ misadventures, just on the off chance that they die and someone comes across it. At least they’ll get to enjoy a taste of good entertainment leading up to their own untimely death, she thinks with humor.

“You planning on publishing that?” Sam joking from her half-prone position nearby, green eyes watching her sibling tuck away the hand-size leather-bound journal they found by sheer luck earlier today. At the risk of a basilisk, the younger Darrow muses. “We’re going to take turns writing entries, right?” Cheerful hazel orbs sliding towards the brunette, who was asleep until recently.

“Definitely. Did you want it now or later?” Gwen already grasping for it, till Sam waves her off.

“Later is fine. You hungry?” she asked, repositioning to dig through a pack for the mushrooms they fried last night in their trusty old pan. “Morel season is the best, but it’s too damn short,” 28-year-old spooning a small bowl full for herself and passing the container to the dirty-blonde, whose wild curls are a spitting image of their mothers.

Older female not bothering to use a utensil and fingering the remaining food as she remembers when they last ate meat, “agreed. It was really good with that rabbit we snared a week ago.”

“SOOO good,” younger concurring as her mouth watered at the train of thought, Sam bored of eating crabs and clams as of late, wishing multiple times over their course that were inland rather than on the coastline. I know that lighthouse is close, I feel it. We can’t give up now, her stomach fluttering eagerly at the hunch. “We’re going to find it today.”

The determined tone enough to lift her sisters’ freckled cheeks and full lips into a grin, “yeah? I hope so. I miss my bed and Aunty Al’s cooking.”

A sigh escaping matching lips as Sam now gets depressed thinking about home, “same, Big Sis.” This won’t be all for nothing… it can’t be.

Before long, the Darrows finish up their meager breakfast and pack up their small camp, prior to scaling down the slippery cliffside to the beach below and following its plastic ridden shore northwards in hopes of laying eyes on what they’re searching for. Occasionally picking through it for anything of use as glaring sunshine from above bears down on them, the rain ceasing a couple miles back surprisingly. What’s more astounding is the clean and quiet pathway ahead, garbage thinning out little-by-little, up till a beautiful seashore greets them. Its sandy surface cleared of all debris, which has both late-twenty-year-olds on guard.

The taller of the two scoping out their surroundings with a pair of old binoculars that their mom gave them long ago. “Either there’s a human settlement nearby or something more threatening… there are several sea monsters that could easily pop up and grab us without any cover out there.” Gwen says, currently propped up between two large rocks on the south edge of it and next to the cliff-face that’s been sheltering them, its protection cutting off into an open beach and continuing at the north end across the ways.

“Probably the latter considering there’s no other sign of people around here. We would have picked up on it by now.” Sams’ sage scanning the woods a couple hundred yards inward among contemplating the risk. We’re close… it’s just around the bend to the front of us. “We could go around eastwards and use the trees for shelter… it’ll add hours and miles,” she adds, wanting to cut through as she’s getting impatient at this point.

Gwen easily picking up on subtle irk in the shorters’ voice and snorting at it. “I’m exhausted too, Sammy, but no way are we dying after all these months because of you being impulsive.” The blonde ducking around a couple more pillars to get a clear view of the Pacific Ocean, which is tranquil as its salty water gently laps onto the shore, bringing seaweeds, starfish, shells and sea-urchins to the pebbly grounding. “My bow won’t be able to take down anything like Nessie or a kraken, so let’s hope that’s not the case… we’ll go inwards 200 yards and cut straight from there.”

Sam grimacing at the notion of running into one of those and nodding in acceptance as she’s handed the binoculars to be on look-out, while her sister arms herself with the hand-crafted bow, both made and given as a birthday gift by their mom. Maisie Darrow a pro in survival skill tactics long-preceding Earths unprecedented shift. Her youngest daughter bestowed her carving tools, along with a detailed hand-written guide to enduring the new world.

“If we see any of those, let’s just run like hell, okay, G?”

“Ditto. Think you can keep up, Shortstuff?” Gwen poking fun at her little siblings’ 5’4 height, the elder inheriting her fathers’ stature and standing at 5’11.

“I have a better shot of escaping than you do, with your giant clown feet,” Sam easily returning the jibe and dodging an elbow to her ribs with grace.

“Bet you’ve been waiting to use that one for years, huh?” 29-year-old teasing as they moved eastwards, soon hushing and pressing on, till she deems them far away enough from the water to cross the open land.

Their usual banter minimalized due to the foreboding dread they’ve been silent about, its heaviness prominent half-way through. The set of weary-brown instantaneously jumping to alert-green when the sound of shifting sand draws their attention, twosome smoothly maneuvering to stand back-to-back and find the source, which comes from the east as beach moves slowly. Something underneath stirring, its shell-like texture poking through the gaps with coloring of brownish red. Crab or lobster, Darrows jumping to the same conclusion and trying to pin-down what kind of animal it could be, their curiosity met with an answer within a moment, when a huge claw emerges from its hiding and the head of the creature arises with it, connected to an enormous, black and scaly serpent body that follows.

“You just had to jinx it and mention a fucking kraken, huh?!!” Pony-tailed brunette quick to punch her ally in the arm.

“Now would be a good time to run!” Gwen roughly shoving her towards the trees in the distance. “Save the fight for that ugly bastard Sammy!” 250 yards to safety, she calculated, neck twisting back to see the beast zone in on them, its crab-like face turned in their direction and antennas extending out to sense them. Its two massive claws pinching in anticipation of a potential meal as eight walking-legs hold it steady and beady-black orbs follow their movement. “Faster! It’s going to lunge!” Hazel zeroing in on the lengthy body that prepares to launch itself with precision and doing so with the upmost speed as the freckled women simultaneously dived forward to throw Sam and herself down, avoiding its attack and just barely escaping certain injury by a measly two meters. Without hesitation, they swiftly get to their feet to run again, neither faltering in movement all thanks to continuous months of risky scenarios.

However, rather than sticking together as usual, the taller veers left to split up and draw its attention amidst her sisters’ pursuit for the tree line. At least till Sam notices she’s on her own and rapidly spins around to watch the scene, her only family running like a crazy person as the serpent/crab follows with intentions to devour its midday snack. “GWEN!” Fear mixed in with the warning that escapes from the spectator, who can only observe from her position as the monstrosity dives for its prey, throwing and flinging sand in its assaults. “NO!!!” The piercing cry of distress reaching the blondes’ ears as she’s knocked off her feet by a swinging pincer and thrown a couple meters, lungs expelling breath forcefully from the impact of hard shell.

Yet, even breathless and sailing mid-air, Gwen keeps a firm hold on the weapon in her hand, adamantly protecting it as she meets sand anew, back and tailbone first. A painful hiss accompanying swears when exposed skin scraps and burns till she comes to a stop, again not delaying as she transitions to a kneel, practiced fingers placidly pulling out her lucky pink arrow to aim at its beady, black eye and releasing a slow breath. The angry Kraken looming above when her sharpened bolt pierces true, causing a chain reaction of flailing crab limbs and scaled flesh, giving her a chance to by-pass the assailant and sprint for safety, which lays too far away to rejoice.

“RUN DUMBASS!” Sam furiously yelling at the idiot, who has risked self-sabotage on numerous occasions to keep her alive, howbeit, this being the worst of all… chiefly when the sea behemoth shakes off the minor wound and ruthlessly goes in for the kill.

Gwen shit of luck at this point and fully aware she won’t make it to her goal, stupidly decides to face the leviathan in all its glory. “SORRY SAM!” Her apology a crap one, especially when knowing full-well how much this will break her siblings’ heart. Ma… now would be a good time to save our asses, a last prayer crossing her brain amid notching another arrow at its sensor in the last second; useless to shoot at the armored-skeleton or body. The second royal-blue dart set free as demise and sands rain down upon the older Darrow, shadow overhead blocking all sunlight from touching her skin in her last seconds.

Then, something unexpected happens. Two somethings, to be precise.

First, the shaft penetrates its target, impaling and going straight through with ease, bringing the Kraken down on-top of the human, who incapable of evading the mighty monsters’ downfall and getting plowed into earth beneath as she ducked and covered her head.

Meanwhile, surrounding winds pick up with a fury, uncontrollable and fierce, lashing out to create twisting flurries of dirt and dust as Sams’ anguished scream echoed, loudly encompassing the wild breeze. Gusts weakening as her crying does, the brunette not caring about anything else in the moment, forgetting the sanctuary of trees and opting to jog over to the unmoving mass. “Gwen?! Gwen?!”

A muffled, “help,” coming from under the slick snake corpse, earning a sob of relief from Sammy, who’s quick to find the origin and help dig a way out. Gwen using elbows and feet to crawl from below the corpse to find herself in one piece; staggered by it all. How the hell am I alive? What the fuck was with that arrow?

“You should be dead.” Sam looking her over, just as dumbstruck as she is. “You should be dead,” she repeated amid circling the monster. “So, how is it you’re alive and it’s the one that’s dead?”

The lighter-haired female recalling her dying thoughts, “one second, I was praying to Ma, and the next, my bolt had somehow brought it down…” she admitted, trailing Sam towards its crab-like head and helping find the entry wound, then the exit one through its shell, ahead of spotting the blue spear sticking from the sand 50ft behind it.

Sam in disbelief as she glances back and forth between Gwen, Kraken and projectile, brows furrowing as it all clicks. “Magic. It must be magic!” Joy now lighting up her heart-shaped face as she smiles at G. “The wind too!”

“Wind? What wind?” Gwen pausing in poking and prodding at the animal to arch a brow in confusion at her.

“During your suicide stint, the wind went berserk…” was it my panic for her that brought it on, Sam wondered, deviating when something shines above the northern peak of cliff less than 500ft away. “Do you see that?” Hazel narrowing on her, prior to following the line of sight and noticing the reflecting light too.

Gwen shrugging as she shuffles around to pick a good place of the scaled flesh to cut into, wanting a meal and piece of skin to repurpose. “Give me 5 minutes and we’ll go. This carcass is bound to bring some other creepy crawlies in, so let’s make sure not to be here when it does.”

“Agreed.” Sam naturally moving to help and hearing their mothers voice in her head saying, “more hands make less work.”

The two making fast work of it, before getting back on track within a few minutes, arriving at the treacherous hillside within an hour and arguing if it’s better to go up now or around the edge like they have been for the past three months. Their choice settled with a game of rock-paper-scissors favoring the younger, who wants to stick to their previous method. Gwen sighing as they once more venture around rocky terrain along the shore side, slipping on the wet footing every other step, though kept hidden from most predators at any rate.

Another twenty minutes passing, until finally, Sam lays eyes on what they’ve been searching for. A high-spirited laugh of happiness coming from her chest as she stops to admire the beautiful sight at the fore, the lighthouse from her vivid dreams standing tall and untouched within a cove off the ocean, surrounded by stones of rainbow. Its tower off-white and upper-level green, with a solid-gold top, which explains the shimmering, she thinks, eyeing each window for any movement inside.

“What?” Gwen lagging and half-useless when hungry, even more so when they have food just waiting to be cooked. “Tell me you’re not losing it,” she teased, not remembering the last time she heard the younger girl laugh like that.

Sammy rolling her eyes as she twists to address her sole companion, “we made it.”

“Made it?” Taller Darrow uncertain if she heard correctly, her long legs bringing her forward to see what her sibling does. “Holy shit… we made it.” It really wasn’t just a dream. “What now? Do we go in?”

Sam hesitant when it registers to her that going inside means truly finding out if it will be all for naught. That everything they’ve been through over the last year and some, might have been waste of time. But that can’t be the case. We literally just witnessed magic in the flesh, brought on by us nonetheless, and not some mythical being... or was it?

“There’s only one way to find out, Sammy,” Gwen practically reading her mind and nudging her forward. “If anything, I’m in the best shape of my life thanks to this, so no time lost.”

The light-hearted words easing the brunettes’ anxiety as they moved on, reaching the buildings’ wooden door shortly, where Red Cedar framework greets them. A portrait carved in it of a woman sitting below the Tree of Life, connected to its roots as vines grow and spread from her body into the earth, lines filled in with rare Jade, like the tree’s’ leaves that spread lively in width amongst it. What’s more beautiful, is the stone centered at its core, seemingly breathing life into the ornate artwork, providing both women a sense of serenity the longer they admire it.

“Should we knock?” Honey-brown full of mirth as they locked onto lush-green.

5’4 female momentarily considering, deciding to forgo that idea and alternately twisting the gold knob, finding it unlocked. “If someone’s home, they likely seen us coming. They have a great vantage point, G.” Sam says when entering, taking in the new sight of more cedar spiraling into a staircase upwards. “Guess there’s really only one way to go, huh?” She mulls out loud, somewhat dreading stairs leading to the unknown.

“We could always go back,” Gwen mentioning as she too worries about what lays beyond them. “But Aunt Aly will call us wimps and you’ll regret never finding out.” The younger sighing as she perceives the older to be right and willingly taking the first step, going up one at a time and coming to the top 80 later, when it opens into a circular room.

Within it, stands a woman, curvaceous in shape and donning a thin flowing garment of greens and golds, her back turned to them as she regards the view of open sea through crystal clear window. Her head is bald of hair and skin umber, with large gold earrings dangling and smaller hoops lining the rest of her ears. “You surprised me coming from the south... not often do travelers brave that beach. Those who do take their last breath there,” her voice as silky as the material that stirs like water when she rotates to welcome the expected guests, stormy-gray peering into them. “I was hoping to keep you two directly out of it, however, knowing you can access my abilities so strongly leaves me no choice in the matter.”

“Excuse me?” Gwen lost on why the stranger gives the impression of being familiar.

“You knew our mom,” Sam making an intuitive guess, receiving a warm smile and nod from the striking lady. “She came here when we were kids, right?”

Long-sleeves sweeping out as the stranger motions for them to sit down, “yes. I reached her through the sleep plane, as I did you.”

Gwen sticking close to her smaller sibling and glancing around in suspicion, “why? And who are you?” A gentle and melodic laugh comforting them as they settled down, duo of Darrows suddenly certain there’s no ill-willed intentions or underlying motives of evil from her.

“I’m She. Mother of all life on Earth and I’ve summoned you to play your parts.”

Sam sitting up a little straighter and glimpsing at Gwen, who leans forward in interest, peaked by the words of familiarity too. “Is that how you knew Ma? She had a part to play too?”

She nods, “correct… Maisie really didn’t inform you of anything, then. She left you in the dark as she said she would.”

“We know it has something to do with magic,” Sam says, “and how she lost her arm.”

Mother of life humming in confirmation, “Maisie Darrow was chosen for a quest and succeeded, although it did cost her the limb, and unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end. Which is why you two are here, now.”

“You need us to do something for you,” Gwen understanding where she’s going with this. “Another pursuit, right?”

“The final one.”

“Final one?” They repeat in unison.

“Life as you know it rides on it.”

The almost 30-year-old squinting her eyes in scrutiny, “this is about everything dying, isn’t it?”

She nods once more in response, impressed at how quickly the women are tying things together. “Earth’s core is failing… it needs Everlight to revive or we are doomed.”

“Everlight?” Sam getting a tingly feeling in her gut at the name. “What is it? And how do we get it?”

“It's a second chance for this planet. A power strong enough to restore the core and save it from expiring,” She reveals. “There is a tournament hosted for it. One that takes place every year, on a specially chosen universe and planet… this year, it just so happens to be here.”

Gwen snorting, “how convenient. SO, let me get this straight. You’re Mother Nature and you called upon us to compete in a tournament for this Everlight thing? Who’s the competition?”

“Players from their own planets, who are in need of Everlight too.”

Sammy jumping up in excitement, “that means we're not the only life out there! That there’s more than just humans and Earth!”

“Exactly.” Steel hardening as She expresses the urgency of her next proclamation, “they will be fighting to win too, at the cost of lives… this is no ordinary event. It’s a battle of life and death, for life or death. Five dangerous tasks to complete, then a race to the finish.”

“Who hosts it?” Sam wanting to be informed on everything.

“Are you saying you’ll do it?” Mother Nature hopeful in tone.

Gwen shrugged. “We don’t really have a choice; it’s us or trusting someone else. And frankly, I don’t trust anyone else.” Her sister smiling at her nonchalance.

“Guess that settles it. Please, tell us everything we need to be aware of,” Sam said. "Also, you said something about your abilities earlier… is that what saved us out on the beach?”

“I’d like some answers about our Mom too, while we’re at it,” elder tossing in.

Mother Nature laughing airily as both girls remind her of Maisie. “There are many answers you seek, some I can help with, others I’ll leave to your guide.”

“Our guide, huh?” Gwen pursing her lips in question.

“Yes. He’s a dear friend and remarkably talented Mage. He was your mother’s chaperone on her own journey, though, if she were still here, she’d argue it was the other way around. T’was Aizashis’ first mission afterall,” She says, a fondness evident in her tone.

“When will we meet him?” Sam enthralled with the concept of having a wizard for their escort.

Nature closing her eyes briefly, before replying, “by nightfall. In the meantime, let me prepare some food and I’ll tell you what I can.”

The Darrows accepting her offer and settling in for a long afternoon of complicated, yet extraordinary discoveries and eye-opening truths.

To be continued.