The Golden Globes of Light: Part Eleven

     Most of the city was underwater, probably due to Ky’s wrath. The heart of the city was the only thing left standing, and there were very few buildings left. To me it appeared as if the entire city had been destroyed overnight, and then somewhat repaired. The library was gone, so we could not have left the tunnels anyway, even if they were not sealed off, so we chose to investigate the town hall instead. As we were surveying the damage, a soft voice behind me startled me so deeply that I accidentally lashed out with my whip as I spun around. To my great surprise, the figure before me did not flinch as the whip went right through it. I gasped as I realized it was a ghost. “Impossible,” we both said together.

     The ghost gave a soft laugh. “I thought... I thought Jahbal had killed all of you long ago. Yet here you are,” she sighed, shaking her head.

     “Faelinn? Is that you?” Lilly asked softly. The ghost nodded. “What happened? What happened to you, to the city, to Jantal and the rest of the Circle?”

     “After you left, the remainder of the Circle cast a curse on the city, and we were overrun. We were doomed to remain here as the undead, powerless to stop the advance of Jahbal,” Faelinn moaned. We sat down after she motioned for us to be seated, and she began to recount what had happened while we were gone. “Shortly after the city fell, the Circle betrayed Xantan and stripped him of his powers. After that, the Circle turned on Jahbal, and he fled to the Two Rings Palace.”

      “Who are Jahbal and Xantan?” Kassiel interrupted.

      “You knew them as Jantal and Zan, respectively,” Faelinn explained softly. “The queen of Faerieland came down to the mainland to aid what had escaped the wrath of the corrupted wizards. She cast three of the members into a dimension of eternal darkness, but the remaining member escaped over the mountains. Jahbal’s fortress was sealed away, but he still managed to unleash monsters as the years passed. You were reported dead, and I spent hundreds of years haunting this place in bitter anger.” Faelinn shook her head sadly and stared off into the distance. “About five centuries ago, a white Lupe came and freed the city. He then went on to defeat Jahbal. After that, my city was able to rest in peace. That is, until you arrived. I felt your return, and I was curious as to why your ghosts would come to my city.” Faelinn gave a slight smile. “However, I see that you are not ghosts.”

     “Wait a moment!” Ky interrupted. “Are you telling me that we have been asleep for TWO THOUSAND YEARS?!”

     “Oh, is that what you were doing all this time? I thought you might have returned to your own time.” Faelinn frowned.

     “That is what I was trying to do!” Ky moaned. “When we woke up in the Techo Caves, I thought the spell had failed. Now I see that it just wasn’t strong enough. We needed all of our memories for the spell to work,” she said bitterly. “Now we will never get home.”

     “Actually, Ky, your spell did work,” Faelinn replied soothingly. “You used a particular form of the spell that returned you to ‘the time where you were needed’. You are needed now.”

     “But the Circle is broken. There is nothing left here for us,” Kassiel said wearily. “Jantal and Zan are... I mean, were obviously Jahbal and Xantan, respectively. It is a shame they had to end up that way.” He shook his head. “I wonder who the other four were?”

     “I thought you, of all Eyries, would have recognized them, Kassiel. The other four were none other than The Three and The Darkest Faerie,” Ky said dryly. She turned to Faelinn. “Where are we needed?”

     Faelinn nodded and the air before her swirled and became a portal. “Far away, I am not certain where, the last of the descendants of the Kayannin are gathering to build a grand city. They can not complete it without all the living descendants present. You are needed there.” She gave us a sad look. “I do not believe we will meet again, but do remember me.”

     We stood up and said our goodbyes. Right before we left, Faelinn showed me the location of the last artifact of the Kayannin. It was an enchanted book written in the ancient language. “This is the Kayannin book of records. It was entrusted to me when I became leader of Kal Panning, and now I give it to you. It shows the ordinary reader the information last read by the previous reader, but for descendants of the Kayannin that have enough power, it can show the records of any of the activities of any of the Kayannin or their descendants. I believe it would be better used in the new city than it would be used here. Farewell.” With that, she faded away, and I never saw her again.

     We stepped through the portal to a much happier scene. Hundreds of pets were working on a rather large castle, and I hardly noticed as the portal closed behind us. A group of builders sat huddled over a set of maps, and one of them cried out as we approached. “They are here! The last ones are here!” the Lenny trilled gleefully. We were immediately surrounded by a welcoming committee. “At last, the city can be completed! Ah, but forgive me, you have journeyed a long way to come here. Come, sit down.” Our stunned group was guided to the blueprints our hostess had been viewing earlier. They looked strangely familiar. I was startled to realize that they were nearly identical to the blueprints of the Darigan Citadel. I cried out in alarm when I saw the scribble at the bottom of the page; “D. A. R. I. G. A. N.”

     “Where are we?” Ashiel muttered. “This doesn’t look anything like the Darigan Citadel.”

     “That is because it is not finished. You six still have to add to it before it can be completed,” the Lenny explained softly. “We have been waiting many years for you to arrive. What has kept you?”

     I glanced over at my sister and sighed. “That might take some explaining...”

     *******

     It took many days to tell the entire story, and all the while the book I was holding was buzzing with energy while it recorded everything that was said. At last, we had caught up to the current situation, and the Lenny gave a tremendous sigh. “Oh dear! That must have been a terrible ordeal. Yes, this is indeed the same Citadel as the one you came from; it pains me to think that it will eventually reach such a state. Still, it must be completed. A great deal of history rides on the existence of the ‘Door Attached to a Realm that Invites Good for All Neopians’; the timeline will be horrendously ruined and paradox will ensue if it isn’t built.”

     Ky frowned as she eyed the blueprints, and then suddenly brightened. “This tremendous empty space here... What is it for?”

     The Lenny shook her head. “It must be for you, because no one else has used it. What did you have in mind?”

     Ky began pacing, and I could see she was brimming with energy. “It is just the right spot... Yes, but I will need some materials...” She abruptly halted and whirled around. “Do you have a forge that I could use, as well as some iron ore?”

     ------

     We spent the next few months in the young D.A.R.I.G.A.N. Citadel. Ashiel and Lilly helped organize a library system and set up the Darigan Chambers. Alex, Kassiel, and I discussed possibilities of ways to govern the Citadel with Lady Kay, the Lenny that had first greeted us upon our arrival. Ky, in the meantime, had retreated to her new forge, and was working on another project of hers. Our group became known as “the Founders” because we were working on the foundations of the Citadel. We entrusted the Staff of Ni-tas, the Dagger of Eternal Light, and the Kayannin’s book of records to Lady Kay, who promised to keep them safe.

     It was a long time before Ky was ready to unveil her latest project, and it was met with a great deal of excitement and confusion. Ky had been working on designs for large enchanted engines; not only had she made the blueprints, she had made several miniatures and most of the key pieces. “I’m afraid I have to turn my attention to something else now,” she explained to a stunned Lady Kay. “I’m sorry that I won’t be able to finish all of the pieces myself.”

     When she finally recovered from the shock, the Lenny let out a tremendous laugh. “My dear, you are marvelous! I never expected you to do so much for us! Thank you,” she chirped warmly.

     “What are you going to work on now?” I frowned. “I don’t see that there is much else you can do.”

     “I will not be doing my next project alone. I will need your help,” Ky said softly. She held up two more blueprints, and I found myself at a loss for words. In one hand, she was holding the blueprint for the infamous Orb of Darigan. In the other, she was holding the plans for the door that had been the start of this entire mess.

     “But Ky...” I stammered. “Ky, you always work alone! Besides, what can I do? I’m not very creative.”

     “Just find me the materials I have listed here.” She laughed, holding up another scroll of paper. I frowned as I saw that the list resembled a treasure hoard more than building supplies.

     “Ky, why do you need all this precious metal?” I frowned. “It isn’t as if you are going to be building a room out of it.”

     Ky snorted. “No, just the door.” I turned a deep red as I remembered what the door had looked like. “Don’t feel bad, Shriek. You’ve been through a lot since that day you were researching for your paper.”

     “No kidding,” I snorted. “Alright, I’ll go fetch your diamonds and rubies. But you better be ready when I get back!”

To be continued...