Prologue
The garden was a beautiful, a perfect, heavenly place fitting a dream. The moonlight beams, silver and bright would come piercing the treetops, playing upon flowers strange, in patterns that no human artist could ever even dream to picture. Hidden somewhere a silver waterfall would send a shiny river to run through the dream garden singing a sad song about eternal love. Between the song and the moonbeams, lives and dreams long gone would pass, floating pictures, through the waters of the river. In the wind little creatures like small lanters with many colors would play. They would chase each other like children the strange creatures, hiding between the flowers’ petals and laughed as they dived in the cold waters, laughed like children in mother Selune’s embrace like so long ago. Suddenly they saw her. A beautiful fairy, tall and fair like a woman, resting in a bed of red roses, and her long hair a second, silent river of the night caressing the fragrant flowers.
They started to wander around her face, wandering what dreams would hide behind these silent eyelids of this naiad, a dream herself, in a dream trapped. Her eyes even closed would dominate her beautiful face with their exotic beauty. And as the little spirits would play and fly above her, a sigh came from her cherry –painted lips, the same as a drop of blood from her finger pierced by a rose’s thorn.
Slowly, it seemed that she would wake. She stirred her big, light blue butterfly wings, and raised her body to the moonlight. She looked around her the marvelous garden. A soft, light breeze came, and brought the smell of distant nightflowers, making purple bells to shudder under its touch. Her eyes drifted in the picture around her.
Every color, every shape of flower that had ever existed looked as if it had gathered in the garden around her, while in the tree branches shone fruits of all forms ripe and tender ready to be cut. She didn’t even notice the little wound in her finger that had painted with crimson drops the leaves.
“Where am I?” she asked herself and anyone else who could hear “this is nor the crimson canyon neither any place else of those I know in this world…”
“You are in a dream silly” replied a little spirit , giggling , right before vanishing , flying with its brothers and sisters among flowers in tall branches where the moon could see them.
The fairy smiled. It must be a dream she thought and a good one too since she wasn’t afraid at all , even thought she was in a strange place all alone. She started then to walk into this dream-garden, crossing leaves and places where many flowers would bloom together filling the air with their intoxicating smell.
She lifted her eyes. For the first time she noticed the moon. Selune ruled above creation these dark hours, sending rivers of silver light which passed through the blossoms, through the flesh reaching for the soul itself. She saw that moon, that magnificent fullmoon that she knew was real and for the first time she started to doubt whether it was a dream or not.
Somewhere far, in the darkness of night she heard the river’s song and even if she didn’t exactly knew what it’s sad words meant, she decided to move on, enchanted, puzzled by it.
Finally she saw it : Through the branches and the leaves she could make the sight of that weird stream, child of the moon and the river, shining through the night, binding worlds beyond the frozen stars, carrying dreams and wishes long lost.
On its shore he was standing, and some times he would look at the water and he would dip his fingers inside causing waves when like a child he tried to catch the pictures that would appea,r but finally grabbing only water which slipped through his fists.
Other times he was standing tall, proud, looking at the moon as if trying to defy Selune’s rule with his dark glance.
His was a statuesque body, like carved on marble and his hair, long and wild like waves of faraway stormy seas touched his waist. He had great wings were obviously larger than hers but quite different, his being black and strong like a dragons’. Contrary to her fragile ones his seemed able to take him flying through thunderstorms and falling hail.
The fairy hid in the bushes and waited. She prayed that his face was also beautiful.
The stranger ducked and looked at the river. He caught water and threw it on his face with disappointment. One of the little spirits startled the fairy. The stranger turned his face like a scared animal that hunters have trapped and for the first time after millenniums outnumbered he was astounded. Those eyes….The fairy also knew that no prayer could ever give so much beauty to any face. He was like a god. Perfect.
“I’m sorry” she said and blushed “I-i didn’t mean to scare you.”
It was the first time that he was speechless. It was the first time that felt something stir in his breast and was scared. But fear or not he knew he would go on.
“You didn’t.” said he and smiled which caused her to blush even more. “It’s me who should apologize. I shouldn’t be here. I just came to take a look at the river. I’ll leave now.”
He turned to leave and she panicked. When his face left her sight she was so scared that she couldn’t see him that she wanted to leap up and grab him. Instead she only had time to shout :
“Wait!!”
That was enough to seal her fate. They spent the night together of course and they made love in that dream garden with the playful spirits all around them like tiny cupids and the river song which seemed to drift away into the night to escort vows and kisses.
She was lying next to him when she whispered:
“It’s dawning anytime now…What we’ll do then?”
He shook his head without looking at her. “The day never comes my love. Time does not pass” he added caressing her chic. “It is a dream. Remember?”
The young fairy all but cried. “I’m so afraid to wake up…I don’t want to lose you.”
The demon wondered for the first time what was keeping him. The trap was set, and she had been caught. He had won. And for the first time he realized that he was more afraid than her, afraid that he would never see these eyes again , he would never againg hear her voice.
He looked at her and he felt that pain in his chest once more, that horrible pain as if something had been planted inside him, as if something living stirred inside him. Yet his sense of self-preservation prevailed for a while and he managed to make it shut up, just for a while just to give him time to stand up.
“I have to leave” he said with a trembling voice for the first time “I have to leave”
She stood up behind him as if to prevent him but stopped. Without looking at her he heard her breathing in the brink of weeping. Yet she didn’t cry.
“I understand” she said.
He turned and stared at her so surprised, so crushed, and she smiled, with a sad smile and her eyes shone and it was if she really understood and more. As if she was forgiving.
He took a step towards the flame gate and his feet had iron balls tied to them. Every step was torment. One more, and inside his heart hell raged much more fiercely than it was beyond than portal.
“I understand” said she and small rivers run across her face. “But I’ll be waiting for you to return.”
He clenched his fist sharp nails drove into his flesh cutting him and blood spilled to the dark earth. But he managed to take another step.
“I’ll be waiting for you. Forever if I have to.”
And that was the only thing that it took to seal his fate too.
He turned his face and looked at her and the moon had taken them both. The moon that played upon the bodies, the moon that dived into dreams, and could not be controlled by gods or demons, fairies or humans, embraced them and made them hers.
“I will return” He said just before entering the gate of fire and they both knew he told the truth.
-----------------------------------------------
Beyond the portal hell itself yawned.
It was a horrible, grotesque, scenery in which rivers of blood and flame rolled between hills of skulls and in which the souls of the damned screamed in pain and anguish for the rest of eternity. Above all, a huge pyramid loomed over all like a small mountain. Demons in curious shapes and forms disgusting, flew and crawled everywhere in the horrible landscape. Inside the pyramid a throne of bones stuck together with blood and dripping venom wrapped in so much darkness that would make starless nights seem bright, surrounded by magic symbols.
He kneeled when he passed the flame.
“It all happened as you commanded my lord. The gate….”
“Ssssplendid” came the answer from the darkness before him. “Perfect you are for thesssse bussinesssesss. Great sssssshame your failure would be.” A hissing voice like a curse by itself.
“Sssstill…”
In ages past it would have been impossible for him to be ambushed. In ages past it would have been impossible for the shadow to creep behind him without been noticed. Yet now his heart bit fast and was the first to be nailed by the poisoned blade. He fell in the burning ground and his blood flowed like a crimson river. He didn’t feel his wings as they ripped them from his back.
“We cannot rissssk…”
He didn’t feel the spears as they pierced his flesh.
“our little plan…”
He didn’t feel the thunder burn his body and soul.
“to be known.”
The only thing he felt was a tear burning his cheek for the first time for a little fairy that would wait for him. And he closed his eyes hoping to dream.
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