Izohri Neruy : Chapter I

Chapter I : Evil upon Evil

Ivobia is very diverse in appearance, but the joyful spirit is the same throughout the land, apart from Tio'kata, the Land of the Great Swamps.
The capital city, B'togey, which consists of streamlined buildings placed in a geometrically perfect circle, is in the middle of the Kingdom. The capital is on the banks of a great lake, which reaches the Land of the Great Woods in the east of the land. There the lake meets a river, that runs from a stream in the great mountains of Gajoca, in the north-east of Ivobia. To the west of the city, lies the Land of the Great Moors, where grass plains and moors dominate the scenery. As we reach the south of the land, we find ourselves in the great cold desert of Pai'kata, where Beoia was born. To the north of B'togey are the misty, cold swamps of Tio'kata. Very few live here, partly because of the soil being very clammy and not fertile at all, and because of the evil that lies in the land there. Very close to the northern borders and the savage land, the Lady Iftee'hh lives. Sucking the lives of whoever dares to enter her realm of evil. Nobody is sure of her existence, because nobody sees her and lives.

--

A tall man walks by the swamps in the mists. His hair is long and black, and tied in the back of his head, with a band. His beard is well groomed, and kept rather short. He has grey hairs at his temples and in his beard, signs of ageing. His dark eyes are scanning the area carefully, searching for something. A hardly audible splash catches his attention. He turns in the direction of the sound. The Noylamé yells.
"Lady Iftee'hh! Immé hyjamé Illa! I summon you! Appear from the mists!"
The water in the swamp starts swirling and the mists form a slim figure with flowing hair.
"Who has the courage - or rather the stupidity - to call for me?" the figure asks, as it forms further and at last is obviously a faerie.
"I, G'tai'myo the Noy'lamé. I have come from the savage lands to ask for your help. We need to destroy the Tagohé and his kingdom of peace, if evil shall survive."
Iftee'hh laughs.
"And what makes you think that I would co-operate? I work on my own, you pitiful mortal!"
G'tai'myo stands straight, showing no fear at all. He tries to conceal his rage against her. 'How dare she call ME a pitiful mortal!'
"You need me if you want to survive. You feed on death and suffering, do you not? If the peace continues, no death nor suffering will remain."
"I have enough food, from the people who bewilder themselves into my swamp. They suffer plenty in the waters, before they die."
"You have noticed a decreasing number of these souls, have you not? The peace is the cause. When the war was raging, all the cowards wanted to hide, and the swamps are perfect for that."
Iftee'hh looks at the Noy'lamé, eyeing him.
"I could eat your soul right now and still, you are not afraid."
"If you were to kill me, you would already have done it."
"And what makes you so certain, wizard?"
"You faeries cannot kill. You feast on suffering and the death of mortals. But no, you cannot kill for yourselves. That is what makes me so certain, faerie!" He laughs. "Now answer the question. The pitiful souls are decreasing, are they not?"
The faerie's presence increases with anger, but suddenly an eerie sorrow appears in her dark eyes.
"Yes. Yes, they are."
The wizard smiles confidently.
"You see! You need me, and I need you. Otherwise we will cease to exist. You do not want that, do you?"
"No, of course not. I am worthy of being." She hesitates for a second. "And so are you."
"Will you then join me?"
"I will. But how will you do it? How will you destroy the Tagohé? He is protected dearly, not by his guards and people only, but by Gaia herself."
"I have friends in the right places. In shadows and corners. I am perfectly able to move around in the palace, without getting stopped. I have access to every corner. I can disappear entirely if I wish to. And Gaia will not dare stop me."
G'tai'myo laughs. His laughter echoes, but there are no trees. Nothing to bounce the sound. His laughter increases in strength until it fills the skies, frightening the scavanger birds.

In B'togey, Alova awakens from her sleep. She sits up with a frightened look on her face.
"Mother, mother! Mum!" she cries.
Beoia enters the room quickly. With a concerned look on her face, she sits down on the bed to comfort her daughter.
"What is the matter, dear?"
Alova sobs.
"The evil man wants to kill daddy."
"What evil man."
"The wizard."
"The wizard?"
"Yes."
"Wizards do not exist, only in fairy tales. Do not worry, dear. It was probably just a bad dream. Go to sleep again, Alova."
Alova lies down in the bed again and Beoia covers her with the duvet, and kisses her goodnight. She leaves the room and closes the door behind her.
Alova does not sleep. She lies thinking to herself.
"Mother does not believe me. But she must. How can I prove to her, that it was not just a bad dream?"
And so, with those thoughts, Alova falls asleep.