ASCALON

The sky’s dome faded from a rich blue to yellow, then darkened to a pinkish orange as the sun slipped closer to the horizon. The High King stood on a small knoll and watched the sun’s rays gently kiss the meadow goodnight. Wildflowers dotted the field, their colors rich in the cool of the evening. It was beautiful, and it never ceased to thrill him.

The path connecting the city of Ascalon to Ealasaiden existed only in the spirit realm and allowed the King the delight of walking through his creations. He followed the way down to the meadow. Karkryan and Ari Eva were always waiting for him with gifts of fruits and flowers. But tonight, they were absent.

“Karkryan! Ari Eva! Where are you, dear ones?” He called their names several times, but no one answered.
The King searched through the meadow and the groves but couldn’t find them anywhere. Karkryan’s favorite spot on the riverbank was unoccupied. The hillside, where Ari Eva usually gathered flowers, was deserted.

The meadow was eerily quiet, the silence broken only by the river as it gurgled and murmured angrily through the meadow. The King frowned, and a niggle of concern seized his heart. He went to their home carved into the hillside. It was dark and empty.

Karkryan pruned and tended the fruit trees and bushes. It was unnatural for him to be absent with the trees in season and laden with fruit, their sweet fragrance drifting on the breeze. The King took a deep breath, then released it slowly.

Two squirrels scampered up a nearby tree, chasing each other. The gray squirrel froze, and his companion hid on the opposite side of the tree when they saw the King. The King chuckled at their antics. At least this was a measure of normalcy.

“I can see you, Peaby,” said the King. The squirrel hung motionless upside down, clinging to the grayish-brown bark and pretending to be invisible. “Oh, come on, you can pretend, but I can still see you. Would you like me to tweak your tail to prove it?” The King laughed as the squirrel turned a beady eye toward him.

“If you pull my tail as that two-legged walking stick does, you might be the one surprised,” said the squirrel, a defiant scowl on his face and his tail snapping. The King’s eyebrows shot up his forehead.

“Peaby!” scolded the brown squirrel, bounding into view. “You shouldn’t speak like that to the High King. He’s only teasing. Misplacing your stash of nuts doesn’t give you the right to be snarky.” Peaby huffed and swished his tail, then scrambled up the tree and sat on a branch, swatting at a fly.

The King blew out a breath. “What are you up to today, Zoge?” he said, feeling uneasy. “Are you gathering nuts for your winter supply?” The brown squirrel nodded rapidly, a twinkle in his eyes.

“My underground storehouse is simply bulging with dried fruits and nuts. It’s been a bountiful season this year. I have lots of seeds too.” The squirrel scampered in a circle.

Zoge discreetly waggled a toe, motioning the King closer. “Peaby didn’t misplace his nuts. I hid them,” he whispered conspiratorially. He glanced at Peaby, sulking with his forelegs crossed over his chest and his tail wrapped over his head like a cap.

“Zoge, you’re a prankster!” said the King, leaning close and whispering too. “What do you plan to do with them?” He waved a greeting at a deer who wandered into the meadow. The deer bleated forlornly, then walked away. The King winced.

“Oh, I’ll put them all back tomorrow,” said Zoge as he continued. “Then, when Peaby finds his stash, I’ll tease him about forgetting where he put them in the first place,” said Zoge, his brown eyes twinkling. He clapped his paws, his heading nodding rapidly. “I love to tease him.”

The King chuckled and waggled a finger back and forth. “It’s a good thing you and Peaby are best friends, or he might bite your nose when he ferrets out your trickery.”

“Oh, he might bite it anyway. He’s been cranky today,” said Zoge, waggling his head. “He was unpleasant to Karkryan, who leaves nuts and seeds for us.”

“Speaking of Karkryan, have you seen him?” said the King, glancing anxiously around the meadow. “I haven’t seen Ari Eva either. Any idea where they might be? I’ve called for them, but they haven’t answered.”

“Ooh! There’s that viper again,” said Peaby, interrupting, his toes gripping the branch. “He gives me the creeps, always slinking around.” Peaby fisted his paws, then pointed. “He’s been nosing around lately, that one.”

“What viper?” said the King, his gaze following Peaby’s pointing toe to where the viper slithered through the grass and disappeared. Moments later, Darnathian stepped from the grove and strolled through the meadow toward the High King. Zoge scrambled up the tree and joined Peaby on the high branch to escape the dark entity.

“Good evening, your Highness. It’s been another beautiful day on Ealasaiden, don’t you think?” said Darnathian a little too casually. The angel’s golden breastplate, embedded with the jewels of his rank, glimmered in the evening light. He smiled, even as a thinly veiled contempt smoldered in the depths of his golden eyes. His majestic wings folded, disappearing behind his back.

“Darnathian,” said the High King, observing the spirit. “Why are you here?” he asked, though he knew the angel was likely up to mischief and wouldn’t give an honest answer.

“Just enjoying the cool of the day. Why do you ask?” said the angel, selecting a ripe fruit from a nearby tree, and taking a bite, he chewed. “Disgusting, too sweet for my taste,” he complained, tossing it away.

“I can’t seem to find my children. I wonder, have you seen them by chance?” said the King.

“Yes, I’ve seen them, and not by chance. We’ve had some rather delightful theological discussions lately; very entertaining, I might add,” said Darnathian, a smirk dimpling his cheek. “There they are now,” he said, nodding toward the edge of the meadow where the two creatures huddled behind a thicket of tall pines. The King felt a chill grip his heart when he saw them, anxious and afraid.

“Karkryan, Ari Eva! Where have you been?” said the High King. “I have searched for you and called to you, but you didn’t answer. What is wrong? Come, dear ones, draw near to me.” He beckoned as he walked to them, and they slowly emerged from the grove. The angel followed behind, snickering.

“We heard you calling, but we were afraid,” said Karkryan, his gaze lowered. “So, we hid.” He pushed Ari Eva behind his back to shield her from the King’s scrutiny. The King saw the action, and his suspicions deepened.
“Afraid?” said the King, surreptitiously glancing at Darnathian. “Did you eat fruit from the tree in the middle of the meadow?” demanded the King.

“Well, yes,” said Karkryan, thumbing a finger toward his wife. “This creature you put here with me gave it to me, and I ate it.” He blanched suddenly at the anger on the High King’s face. “What was I supposed to do?” he countered.
“Ari Eva, how could you have done such a thing?” said the King, turning toward the female. Despite his anger at their oath breaking, his heart was breaking because he loved them so much.

“Orphedian deceived me! He told me such things that sounded truthful, I believed him!” Ari Eva darted an angry glance at the angel and quickly lowered her gaze. “Only now do I know that he lied, and he is Darnathian, the dark prince.” She pouted. “He should have been banned from Ealasaiden.”

Darnathian couldn’t keep from smirking as the creatures denied any misconduct. His scheme was marvelously successful. Pride swelled in his chest. The High King was deeply wounded, and he was glad. The King had given these pitiful creatures free will, and they had used it poorly. He knew Ealasaiden and its lifeforms would continue. Still, because of the actions of the two creatures, their bentness would corrupt everything, even the orb itself and the inhabitants living on it, until one day nothing good would remain. Immorality, murder, mayhem, and death would result. The creatures would eventually destroy the King’s precious creation.

Ari Eva clung to her husband’s arm, casting furtive glances at the High King, and waited. She could feel the trepidation in her husband, his muscles tense beneath her hand. The King reached his hands toward them.
“Oh, dear ones,” said the King, gesturing to the beauty all around them, “did you not understand from all of this who I am and how much I love you?” His sadness deepened as the couple dropped their heads. They offered no apologies and asked for no forgiveness. Their bentness was already darkening their hearts and minds, stealing their innocence. His anger flared toward the angel.

“You!” bellowed the High King as he turned toward Darnathian. “Cursed is the viper because you took that form to deceive these creatures. Now they will know death, and all life on this orb will die. From now until the end, discord will rule between her descendants and your progeny! However, the One from her lineage will conquer you forever.” Anger flared in Darnathian’s bright amber eyes, and his hands clenched as he absorbed the King’s meaning.

Karykryan’s head snapped up, and he squeezed Ari Eva’s hand. He looked from the King to the seething entity. Had the High King just promised that the evil Darnathian would be conquered? Was this an offer of hope? He listened intently as the King continued.

“My Bachars will always rise to defeat your progeny, Darnathian,” said the King, staring at the enraged spirit. “I am sorry I created you. You have misused your free will. Your pride will be the cause of your destruction. Leave!” He slapped his hands together, and the entity disappeared with a pop. The King turned to the two creatures clinging to each other.

“Karkryan and Ari Eva, you have broken your oath to me, damaging your spirits. It grieves me deeply, but I am expelling you from the meadow. From now on, you and your descendants will experience joy with sorrow, hard work with pain. You will toil endlessly, searching for meaning in your life. Worst of all, your hearts will ache for the fellowship we enjoyed in the meadow, and your descendants will inherit the emptiness. Now, your bodies will grow old and cease to exist.”

The King paused, and he saw the hope in their eyes wither. “I am who I am! I cannot tolerate bentness. It is against my nature.”

Karkryan’s face crumpled. With a whimper, Ari Eva buried her face against her husband’s chest.

“Therefore, you must have a covering to hide your bentness from me, or it will separate you from me forever. To impress upon you the brutal vileness of your corruption, an innocent must die. I do this for you to give you hope and a future. You must learn how repulsive your rejection of my love is.” A tiny deer, still covered in spots, wandered into the clearing where they stood.

“Do you understand?” said the King.

Ari Eva gasped and fell to her knees, weeping, shaking uncontrollably. Karkryan, overcome with emotion, knelt beside her. He lifted her face and looked into her eyes. She gave a slight nod of her head but continued to weep, grieving.

“Yes, my King. We believe and understand,” whispered Karkryan.