The Lost Shell of Mahon

Telling of time by the Dalthimus Moons

*December – Cold Moon

January – Snow Moon

February – Hunger Moon

March – Crow Moon

April – Pink Moon

May – Flower Moon

June – Strawberry Moon

**July – Thunder Moon

August – Red Moon

September – Harvest Moon

October – Hunter Moon

November – Frosted Moon

The year begins with the crowning of the current king, and is marked by each year of the rule.

*The crowning of the King starts under the Cold Moon, marking true winter, and the longest day of the year, the 3rd day of the Cold Moon.

**The Sceadu dance is on the longest night during the Thunder Moon.

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Chapter 1

Once upon a time… I've always thought that's how a story like mine ought to start. I'd never set out to make a journey, never thought about a knight coming to rescue this anti-story book princess, I never really thought of anything outside my own little ordinary life. You might hear that word a lot, ordinary, it is all I had before. Before what you might ask, well for starters, little did I know outside my small town there's a whole world out there and then there’s another world and it's full of magic! Yeah, I know, sounded hokey to me too.

My name is Chelle, well its really Raechelle L'eonis Mahon, but that is really a mouthful, who knows what my mother was thinking, and well you can throw a princess in there... But we aren't there yet; this is where it all began.

In my eyes, I’m an average teenage girl, just about to graduate high school, with red hair that never does what it should, and always a little more weight than I want, but never the drive to actually workout. I love to read, it’s my own escape from the boring everyday mundane…yeah I know I’m rambling it’s what I do, I’ve been told my whole life, I talk and tell stories like it’s one big run on sentence after another. That’s why I read, because writers do it so much better than I do.

Well as I said before, I came from a town where ordinary happens, and fairy tales are for little children. We learn in school how fairy tales originated as cautionary stories told in days past warnings to children who don't like to follow rules, or from people unsatisfied by their current life and pretending to live an extraordinary one. No one actually believes in that kind of stuff, right?

As usual, the major complaint for most teenagers world(s) wide, yes I said worlds… as in plural, there's not much to do, and no place to go, but plenty of trouble to get into... And that's where my friend Elaine and I come in. We've know each other since my family moved here right after I was born. Our moms are best of friends so we are really more like sisters. She's the reason I got in this mess in the first place...

She of course, is the skinny one with straight blonde hair who rolls out of bed as the typical sleeping beauty. I hate her almost as much as I love her.

This town we came from was Ternith, just a dot on the map of regular old Caspara. We sat north of the Capitol and south of the Bay. Most everyone has a bit of forest and a lot of green as their backyard, and we spent many summers traipsing those woods in search of anything a little less normal. And that's where we found it.

It was Saturday, so no school and our parents got together as they often did. Elaine and I went down to the stream beyond my backyard, and dipped our feet in. After, half an hour of discussing the inconsequential, we got bored and set off the well-worn path winding along the stream. That's when I noticed a huge tree... Its roots were all spread out and gnarly, like it was pulling up from the ground, trying to take off and got caught! It was nothing short of terrifying and I was sure we needed to explore. Elaine noticed a hole that came up under the tree where the roots were pulled away, it was much too large for an animal to have made it, and she dared me to go in. The scaredy cat wouldn't have set foot any closer to it, and neither would I had I known what I'd find inside.

As I crawled down, I realized I had enough room to stand and it was similar to the mouth of a cave, I reached up to call Elaine down (if I was going to get dirty so should she!) The ground shuddered. I lost my balance and stumbled. The roots above my head snaked forward rapidly enclosing the space.

Elaine swears as soon as I disappeared inside, so did the tree... It was as if it never existed, but she could hear me as I screamed...

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Chapter 2

Speaking of the prophecies of old, sent from the Lord Sun and given to man in the times before the Anshan were evolved, is strictly forbidden in our laws. Anshan collaborating or willingly seeking company with the human slaves, or protecting said creatures are punishable by the death of the servant and the exile of the Anshani.

Book of Laws, written by the council of Dalthimus

Stone, and more stone, rise up to meet his gaze. A hundred years of solitude, in his subterranean prison. How he longed for the Sun, the light, the warmth, His voice.

He knew that his sentence was almost up, and they would come soon.

Artileon tamed his inner madness and turned from this dismal cave, his thinking space, his niche carved out of stone to placate his desire to return to the surface and the service of His Lord Sun. Every day he added to the marvel, depicting the story of his captivity, and mourning his freedom.

None of the council knew of his excavation this far into the deeps; this was his hidden place, his lair. It was entirely fitting for his beast.

He carefully crafted pictures from the stones, and painted the scenes in vivid detail. Lately he had found his thoughts were upon the prophecy and he had started in on a picture of a shell.

He remembered well the time before his captivity, he wasted so much time pleasing his father the king, and placating the whims of his precious council. As a young child he thrived on trying to gain his father’s attention and praise. Law after law they passed furthering their causes to separate and condemn the human slaves. The Ladisians had become the centrifugal force behind the council. They held sway over the assembled men that lead to the changes in the laws. Though it was not always so. He watched as he grew up to find the council and king had become increasingly paranoid of the gifts that were given to the Humans by the Lord Sun. They wanted to control the magic of the gifts, even if they could not wield it themselves. The most powerful gifts slowly disappeared as the oppression began. The humans were simply afraid of what would happen if they showed promise, no one spoke of their gifts, and they stopped teaching their young, it was as if the magic was forgotten.

Until the day the prophecy was once again written in the skies. It was like a ray of hope was sent to the humans, but in the cold heart of the Ladisians it was a threat.

After the prophecy, the council’s business became more secret, they met in the deep places, and they subjugated the human slaves trying to master the human’s magic. This began the Time of Darkness.

Any who crossed the council met the king’s wrath, the king no longer held the power, but catered to the darkness that held the council. No one knew what this darkness was, or where it came from. We were creations of light, servants of His light, the Lord Sun. Even those who mentioned The Lady of the Moon and acknowledged her power, were reminded that she was merely a reflection of the Lord Sun’s light. The Lady was His daughter a semi-deity, whose role was to reflect His light in our darkest time, to remind our world of Him. They were our source of magic, the first beings on this world and had created us all.

When Artileon had matured he became more and more disgusted at their dark accomplishments. By the time he truly understood the encroaching darkness, and the failure to see the Lord Sun’s light in the council’s plans, it was too late.

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Chapter 3

"…and once someone wise told me that it is darkest just before the dawn; metaphorically I’m guessing here that means it’s going to get really bad before it decides to get any better, oh boy!

Chronicles of the Princess Chelle of Mahon

Chelle

So now it’s time to panic, I think I left off with the screaming; well its pitch black, did I mention I'm terrified of the dark! And spiders… There's nothing in the world worse than spiders. By this time, I was thoroughly freaked out and I frantically scraped at the roof as if this might help in my current predicament. When it became painfully certain, that this wasn’t helping I started shuffling forward, I could feel the dirt overhead with the dangling roots hanging down brushing at my hair and pulling at my clothes. I can't tell you how long I was down there, just that I kept shuffling, what direction I couldn’t tell you, how was I going to find a way out, and I worried what would I find when I did...

All of a sudden a bright light blinded me, and a gruff voice asked me (not very nicely I might add, especially when I couldn't see and was lost and frightened!)

What are you and why are you in my lair? W-what am I? I said blinking away the blindness.

Yes, you may stutter but I do not, the gruff voice retorted!

I am starting to see a little more clearly, and I see a disheveled albeit handsome face staring back at me. He looked about a year older than me, about 19. He had a strange ethereal otherness to him that I couldn't quite place.

The small light only showed me a tiny bit of my surroundings. I was in a tunnel of dirt and rocks. The walls and ceiling were close and smelled of well, dirt and rocks…

I sarcastically responded at his rude questioning... Human and what might you be?!

Human?! He exclaimed, That’s impossible… Who are you and how did you find this place?

I was getting quite tired of his snarky attitude by now, and replied annoyed. Of course I'm human. What else would I be? And why should I answer any more of your questions, when as you can probably tell, if you had a brain, I'm lost, and you’re rude!

At this he looked most astonished as if he couldn't believe I had spoken to him this way, and proceeded to laugh.

This of course made me want to deck him. However, before I could move, he grabbed my shoulders and told me that wherever I'd come from I should run as fast as I can from this place. I can't, I said miserably. The tree closed in on me, I'm afraid I'm stuck. Can you tell me where I am? He started walking and looking around as if trying to figure out where I’d come from, and whether or not he could return me. I stumbled along behind him, afraid of losing this small blessing of light, and hoping maybe he could find my way back out. We seemed to walk for a while, before he turned to face me as if he just realized I was still following him.

Forgive me; this must come as a shock to you. I am Prince Artileon and this lair you've stumbled upon is my hiding place. I'm in exile from my people, for treachery in cavorting with 'humans' emphasizing the last word. I gasped a prince and a handsome one at that and wait... He keeps saying human like he isn't... What are you then? I asked. Then I added your highness hastily. I figured it couldn't hurt, though I might've added a little sarcasm, so it probably didn't help. In your world I would be a beast, he growled. Again with the gasping, you'd think I'd learn to roll with punches here…

I must've hit my head, or fallen when I climbed in that cavity at the base of that tree; this has got to be just a weird dream…

Unfortunately, for you… It isn't said a creepy voice…

A loud roar erupted as the prince spun, to face this new intruder. He didn't have a happy face that's for sure, the new guy looked even smarmier than the prince and I immediately found I disliked him.

You’d think your highness, that you'd find better company than this filthy mongrel, especially when you face your freedom soon, creepy voice guy sneered.

Brother, it's so nice of you to visit, I'm having all sorts of unexpected visitors today, this 'thing' just popped up out of nowhere, and I have no idea where it came from. Prince Artileon responded as if he was receiving a duke and I was something the cat drug in. I was furious, I am not an 'it' or a mongrel, and though I'm decidedly filthy it's not my fault!!

They both ignored me, with disgust written on their face, such a change from this prince I saw before. I had to admit, I was more scared now than I was of the spiders and the dark... And I inched towards the wall.

The prince ordered me to be still, and I froze. Then he addressed his brother, asking when the ceremony would begin and what would they need to do with the abomination (meaning me). Artileon you may wish to kill her and rid yourself of this stigma of the curse once and for all, showing your loyalty to your people.

Artileon growled, but shook himself as if warring within himself, he shifted and it's almost as if the lines around his body blurred. He cursed, and then said, "Aremi, my brother, so be it, it must be done, the prophecy cannot be fulfilled, she shall be brought to the ceremony as a sacrifice. She shall die before the council, when I declare my freedom."

I gasped; kill me, for exploring a tree... I started pinching myself trying to wake up from this dream turned nightmare. Aremi, turned swiftly his long cape billowed as he...what he disappeared! He disappeared... Like into thin air, and, wait you're... You're going to sacrifice me!!! I said hysterically.

"Silence! the prince roared. I do not know how to get you out of this, but on my honor as a prince of Dalthimus, you will not die if I can help it... This ruse was to buy you time and save you from Aremi's claws!"

Though cowed by the barely contained rage in his voice, I looked at this person in front of me and saw the beast and the man, death or savior.

You mean to save me, even though I would buy your freedom? I asked quietly.

He did not even turn to look at me, or deign to answer my question.

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Chapter 4

All humans found after the summoning will be brought to the attention of the council, for testing, and if found in possession of a gift, they will promptly be relieved of their freedom and become servants of the higher good. The greater good for all Dalthimus requires the servitude of these magics to be practiced only under supervision of those wise enough to control it. Magic gone out of control is a danger to our country and people, and must be placed in the safe guards within the council’s walls.

Article 1.2 of the laws regarding humans

Written by Councilman Daltim Quarm

Amendment approved his holiness the King Framond of Dalthimus

Aremi

I have in my dreams met a most beautiful creature, she wills me to come to her. I must admit I am obsessed, I must feel her presence to feel whole.

She walks through my subconscious telling me of the dark secrets she could share to make me a most powerful and noble king. She whispers mutinously of the failings of my father