2 BOOK1: SPLINTERED MAPLE: CHAPTER2: “Glass Houses”

CHAPTER 2: Glass Houses

Light and darkness dance in their eternal ballet across the expanse of a great hall, nestled deep within the twisting corridors of the black glass fortress. Sweeping delicately as they follow the curves of the many balconies and corridors jutting from the great dark walls, they cross the sad and motionless eyes of a young boy. A single tear rests on his cheek and his dark hair, framing his brow, falls in waves to the floor, apperaring almost grey against the pitch black tiles. Tremors and aftershocks echo around him as the citadel shudders against existence. Motionless, he waits.

With a final deafening thud, which echoes to the ends of eternity, the tremors stop and the boy appears for the first time, to live. His chest rises and for the first time in his existence, he breathes. The single tear, crystaline on his face, finally falls and is forever lost and forgotten, to shatter to dust on the floor.
Newly found silence haunts the huge citadel and builds to fill the very air itself, straining to fill its void with life, straining to embody itself with existance. Finally with a great building crescendo of nothingness, the boy awakens, his icy blue eyes adjusting to the blinding new surroundings.
His first thoughts are filled with a sad dream he cannot remember. It slips slowly from his mind as he struggles to remember the thoughts of horror, sadness and a thin veiled hope, then they are gone and he is left alone with his own thoughts.
His memory feels faded, as if seen through another persons eyes, sporadic and haunting in their simplicity and their infinite complexities. Struggling he rises to his feet, Long black and gold robes drape across his figure to cover his soft boots like tendrils of vine. Eyes clearing he studies his surroundings, it takes his breath away.

Hundreds of doorways and staircases crisscross the mountainous cavern above him, stretching onward toward the great vaulted cielings. Fountains and vines drape delicately from these and other recesses to create a beautiful hanging garden of thousands of plants and between the flowers, fly beautiful birds of every shape and size. The colours break the darkness or the glass and stone walls in their intensity, blending beautifully with it as paint on a blank canvas. Movements and pendulums sweep through as huge moss covered gears move smoothly in their endless mechinations for unknown uses. However, All else fails in comparison with the centerpiece of the Great hall itself.
An immense spiraling hourglass with a rainbow of colours erupts from the floor near his feet and stretches far above them to the vaulted cieling. unlike the other surfaces, this glass is perfectly clear and reflects the sparkling rainbow of colour around them. Twelve spiraling colours dance beautifully through the immense structure, elegant in their grace. Then he notices the other strand weaving amongst them, a dark red strand that seems to dissipate the light of the others. Sucking and pulsating with them it resonates with an immense force as it ducks and weaves its own patterns through the other twelve. Reaching forward to touch the structure he can feel the warm glow of the twelve colours and the destructive pull of the other.
Jerking his hand back from it, he shudders, he had not even realised he was standing so close to this object and its immense power. It compells his eyes as he backs away to sit near an immense statue of a mechanical monstrocity sprouting beautiful cascades of water from its many fingers into a rippling pool at its base. Small yellow and blue birds splash and bath around him as he sits motionless at the pools edge, eyes clouded with fear and confusion, even coming to land delicately on his lap, looking carefully at him before flying away to join their kin.

Thirst eventually takes him in its grasp after many hours of sitting and contemplating whilst trying to ignore the radiant beauty and penetrating horror of the Hourglass looming over him. leaning forward he scoops the water delicately from the pool in his hands and drinks, it is sweet and nourishing and losing all controll he drinks, tears or loss and solitude tremble across his cheeks as he weeps away the pains which are not his own to bear.
Finally he stops and the water settles, gently rippling beneath the great lilly pads on its surface, then reflected in its surface he sees his reflection for the first time. His eyes stare back at himself, mirroring the surprise he feels as a memory floods suddenly to the front of his mind.

‘Tharne’ He whispers as his first smile reflects back through the pools crystaline waters.
‘My name is Tharne’
After some time the newly named boy Tharne begins to explore the hall, looking into each of the grand arches spiralling like great spokes from the central hub. He counts them as he goes, and all nine seem to lead down passages which end in great wooden doors. Finally he gives up looking for differences and tries one of the doors at random.
The first door he picks is next to a large pool filled with fish of every shape, colour and size all swimming together in intricate patterns. Walking carefully down the corridor he is accutely aware of his own footfalls echoing in the tunnel. reaching the great doors he rests his hand on their huge bronze handles and after a deep breath, opens them.
An amazing sight meets his eyes. An immense cavern fills his view, almost as large as the great hall but not anywhere near as high, it is beautiful in itself because of the clear waterfalls and streams running through the rocks. Great moths and glowing insects scramble amongst the stone outcrops, generating a gentle blue, green and red glow speckled across the landscape. Huge crystals and gemstones erupt in spines or clusters amongst the rocks, reflecting the lights and playing their liminescence like music into his eyes. Venturing forward, Tharne carefully explores the caverns recesses and tunnels. His feet follow the banks of the great rivers as they carve through the landscape, natural bridges and archways crisscross his path and swarms of luminous butterflies echo in cascades around his head and then on again into the glow of the cavern.
After many hours of wandering he tears his senses away from the rock caves and decides to try the next door on his left. stretching in anticipation, he pushes the heavy wood apart and breaths deep, his hear aflutter with adventure. Inside however, is only a bleak polished wooden spiralling staircase. Although elegant in its form and obviously functional, he decides he should explore the other areas of this floor before heading up to the next.

The next door contains a giant library of thousands of books. Excitedly he picks a few from the shelf and sits to read, the smell and feeling of the books in his hands fills him with a longing and joy. Opening the first he finds nothing but blank pages. The second and third are no better and soon he gives up and carefully replaces the blank books in their shelves. Dissapointed, he moves onto the next doors.

Three more doors reveal a small kitchen bursting with food, from which he takes a loaf of delicious bread, another staircase up to the floor above and finally an enourmous indoor forest.

Captivated he walked forward allowing the delicate fronds of the low hanging branches and leaves to caress his face. Above him spans a globe, like an enourmous sun in miniature, bristling with radiant warmth and gentle energy. A herd of deer erupt from a small clearing, galloping across the shallow stream and into the woods beyond. turning he follows the stream down through the twisted boughs and great arching roots of the ancient forest, listening intently to its gentle musical rhythm as it trickles gently over the rocks.

The forest breaks like the dawn and the light blinds him as he squints to see his surroundings. Ahead of him at the edge of the great lake, stands a great and mighty willow tree, the wind whispering his name gently through its long tendrils. Stepping forward he stops, there was something moving in the corner of his vision. crouching we watches carefully.

Erupting from the dense foliage on his left burts a young woman, silky white robes and cape drape behind her as she struggles to maintain her footing on the loose earthen slope. Behind her, teeth bared in a horrible snarl, a creature of nightmares stalks her, its sinuous form draping like a spider across the ground towards her. Without thinking he leaps forward and to the young womans surprise, grasps her hand and pulls her along behind him towards the willow tree.

“Behind me!’ he yells, and pulls her between himself and the great willow, its enourmous branches drift between them and the shadowy form approaching. searching, he looks for any way to protect them. struggling he grasps at stones on the ground and hurls them towards the sinuous shape, rising as a giant insectoid-reptillian hybrid of pure darkness. the creature drifts away from the projectiles easily and rears up, exposing its razor sharp front legs. Leaping, he pushes the young woman to the ground as the great claws shear through the ground where they just stood, slicing the willows branches and carving great chasms in its trunk.
Grasping a fallen branch he holds it up in a final gesture of defiance, trying to use it to shield himself and the woman from harm. The great claws fall steadily, their crushing weight seems to acelerate towards them in slow motion.

‘This is it’ he thinks, ‘If only I were stronger I could have saved us’

The blow falls towards them with an almighty crash. He waits for the pain of death to take him, but it never comes. Above them spans a shield of pure brilliant energy. Bursting from his forearm it winds itself through the severed yet still living Willow branch and it erupts with its power across their forms, protecting them. Slowly he stands, now concentrating on his energies, strengthening the shield itself with his resolve. The great shaddowy beast retreats, beating at him with raised claws and talons. He makes ground, pushing the creature back with every step he takes, then just as it seems the battle is won, a look of concentration flows over his face again and his shield falters. The beast sees its advantage and lunges at him, driving him back again towards the great tree. With one final blow he falls to the ground beneath his now disolving shield, its form barely covering his body. The creature lunges forward for its final assault, stretching its talons wide for a killing blow. Suddenly, Tharne leaps forward, his shield elongating into a spear around him. The creature falls forward and its shaddowy form dissipates into smoke and vapour as blue light tears through it.

The smoke clears and the yound woman looks out from her hiding place amongst the trees roots. Standing before her it the form of The youg man, her savior, head raised and eyes long distant with contemplation. Yet now beside him, clasped tightly in his left hand is a grand staff of living Willow, twisted and perfect in its construction, it glows with his own energies and he with its.

reaching his hand towards her, his skin gentle on hers, strange yet familiar.
With a flourishing bow he introduces himself. ‘I am Tharne’
‘I feel as if I know your name, as if it is in some distant memory’

Her answer whispers across the willow and stirs something deep withing his mind.

‘Ivy’