Silver Rose

A Curse Unfulfilled

Kyrin stepped out of the dark room frowning. She had sat in that room for five months searching for a loophole. The wall might stop magic from coming in, but it could do nothing about magic that was already inside it. She had carefully searched for the wall in the magic realm. In that icy cold space, she found many spells. All were old, most dying or dead. She felt the wall spell before she saw it. The wall extended past Talis and into some of the lands beyond the forest. It was weaker than a fresh spell, but it still glowed bright white with a strength she could never break alone. It was so wonderful, so powerful she couldn’t resist an urge to touch it. A burning shock shot through her body when her finger grazed it. It sent her reeling onto her back. She gasped for a breath of air as her body burned from the inside.

Kyrin was no fool and had created a protection spell before she entered the realm. Now that spell whisked her out of the magic realm and back into the dark room in her castle behind the Mountains. She lay on the floor of that windowless room for days until she had the strength to get up. Then she wearily emerged from the room. Hock, the wizard she used to train her army, was in the hallway and caught her as she fell. She was confined to her bed for two months.

“What am I doing?” She kept thinking. “The Wall almost killed me. If I had put my whole finger in it I’d be dead. Why must I do this? Are a few rotten humans worth my life?”

These questions reeled through her mind over and over again. Finally, she made a decision.

“There is no point to this relentless mission. I have already rid the world of millions of humans. The Kandors can have the lands we have already conquered. I will go home and take my place in the Council.”

Burmir, Flike, Hock, and Chemise looked at each other. Kyrin trusted them the most and called them into her chambers to break the news.

“But—“ Hock began.

Kyrin put up her hand to silence him.
“I have been to the wall,” she said. “It is at least two hundred yards high and ten yards thick. I almost died by merely touching it. We cannot pass that wall with the intent to kill all that lies within it. And how could we banish our goal from our mind?”

“Can’t you break it?” Hock asked.

“It would take dozens of the most powerful fairies, elves, and charmints, to even begin to unravel it. You should know, Hock, that it takes much more strength and time to break a spell than it does to make it.” Kyrin shook her head. “No. I would die just trying to create a dent in that spell.”

“But why give up?” Chimese asked. “Why not carry out our war until we reach the wall?”

“What’s the point of making it that far only to turn around in defeat?” Kyrin asked. “We may as well stop now.”

“But maybe the humans from inside the wall will come out to fight us and then we—“

“No, Chimese. The men might, but the women and children will stay inside.”

“At least we would have the men,” Hock said.

“No!” Kyrin shouted. “Every last drop of human blood will flow across this earth or I will have nothing to do with them!”

A long silence fell over them.

“Then you will go back to your parents?” Flike asked.

“Yes,” Kyrin answered. “And to—and to my daughter… Mara. I have not seen her in so long. She must be grown by now; grown, and powerful like all Polantes and Gnights. I have given her no wisdom, no lessons, no skills. There is much I wish to tell her, much that I must share.”

Flike nodded his head.
“Do what you think is right, Kyrin,” Flike said. “I have followed you here, I will follow you back.”

“But Lady, how are we Kandors to govern ourselves?!” Chimese exclaimed in a panic. “What will we do without you?!”

“That is not my concern,” Kyrin snapped. “I’m sure Hock can take my place and you generals are capable of leading your people.”

“But—“ Chimese began.

“Please leave me!” Kyrin shouted, suddenly irritated. “All of you!”

Slowly, all but Burmir left. Kyrin collapsed in a chair. Burmir lay his large head in her lap. Kyrin stroked his head. They stayed like that for a long time. Finally, Burmir lifted his head.

“What bothers you Kyrin?” He asked.

“I don’t know.” She replied. “I think I feel a little guilty for leading the Landons this far and then leaving them.”

“Yes, you are not one to quit an unfinished project.”
Kyrin sighed.

“I’m just worried that without me, the fate of their ancestors will become theirs. The farther west they go the more powerful the human countries are.”

“And you believe the Kandor creatures will continue on the warpath even without your leadership.”

“Of course they will. It is what they have lived for all their lives.” Kyrin said. “Their leader may change, but their will won’t.”

“But this is none of your concern, Kyrin.”

“Of course it is, Burmir. I made them into what they are. I made them an army to be reckoned with. Without me the Lady’s Kandors would never exist.”

“And without you the Kandors may no longer exist.”
Kyrin rubbed her forehead.

“If only that wall—“ she began. “If there were a way, I could go inside Brovan, or Eknosh and bring those nations down from the inside. But there is no way I can get through that wall.”

“Without any hope, I can see why you must give up.”

Burmir walked toward the door.
“When will you leave?” He asked.

“Tonight.”

Burmir nodded his head.

“I think I will stay for awhile to help regain order once you’re gone.” He said.

“Oh.” Kyrin had assumed Burmir would come with her like Flike would. “I shall miss you dearly, my friend.”

“We will meet again, Kyrin. The spell you placed on me won’t allow me to die at least until you complete your curse. Since you will never complete it, I shall be around for a very long time.”

“That’s right. So will Flike, Chimese, Bellif, Neateria, and Hock,” Kyrin recalled.

Burmir nodded and turned. The door opened for him. He turned back to Kyrin. Kyrin waited for him to say something. The wolmens of the Fauyen world were close cousins to the charmints and shared the wisdom of their magical cousins. Burmir always had good council and Kyrin depended on his advice the most (and he gave his out the least).

“I leave you with this thought to ponder.” He said. “You have a wall in your path. It has deterred you from your destination. But who walks through a wall?”

Burmir turned and walked out of the room. Confused, Kyrin began to gather her belongings.
Soon she forgot all about what Burmir said as she and Flike made plans for their journey back to the Fauyen world. Late that night they walked out of the castle. Any creatures that were still awake stared in amazement to see their Lady walking amongst them. Kyrin and Flike reached the Forbidden Mountains at the first rays of dawn. They surprised more creatures as they crossed through the mountains. Most of them made a clumsy bow as their astonishment turned into reverence.

Slowly, Kyrin left the Forbidden Mountains in the late afternoon. She did not allow herself to look back. She let out a heavy sigh.

“My heart is heavy, Flike,” she said. “Seeing these people and how much faith they have in me makes it hurt.”

Flike, who had been sitting on her shoulder, nodded in understanding.
“Kyrin,” he said, “if you want I can fly us over all the countries the Kandors now occupy.”

“I would like that Flike,” she said.

Flike flew off her shoulder and morphed into a very large bird in the air. Then he landed on the hard ground. Kyrin carefully climbed on his back. Flike flapped his large wings and took off into the sky.