Prologue
Deep in the cold empty of space that was not space, in a time that was not time, a writhing mass of pure emotion and sensory perception boiled and churned like the bubbling cauldron of a witches brew. The ether of nothingness swirled in patterns which led the mind to reminisce, yet hurt the very soul to behold. Corrupt and terrible entities of unimaginable malevolence and evil suddenly paused in their age old ministrations of ruination and power mongering to take note. The first knew only hate and anger, a maddening lust for battle and blood that billions of deaths could not begin to slake. Another, weeping and oozing with festering, pustules full of the most virulent and noxious fluid, was deaths wilting kiss, rot incarnate. The last, aloof and conceited, with schemes, locked inside deceit, wrapped in lies of half truth, seeking only to bend the entirety of existence to its will and force the whole of reality into a never ending cycle of change for naught but its wicked amusement. Something powerful and akin to themselves, yet altogether different and apart from them was struggling to erupt from the seething torment in space and each of them must be ready to control or destroy it, no matter what it may be. Such was the nature of Chaos.
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The bright shining star had endured for a millennium marking the passage of time only with the occasional violent sunspot or electromagnetic eruption. The twelve planets circling the bright blue star held wondrous variety of form and color, each environment a contradiction of the others. The sixth planet stood out from all the others, a bright beacon of celestial light that called its inhabitants home no matter where their wanders took them through out the universe. Five great continents shared the planet with clear and cold seas of a deep rich greenish blue.
Enormous blue scaled reptiles, beasts that could only be called dragons, leapt from the tops of the waves, soaring high into the cool crisp air on shimmering wings that unfurled from watertight flaps of flesh on the creatures backs . The noble beasts danced through playful, mock combat, breaking off from one another only to swing around to grapple once again with thunderous cries from their massive, fang lined maws.
Growing weary of their cavorting, one of the young dragons dove in low over the water and raced along the edge of the largest of the great land masses, spanning almost one third of the planets surface. The rolling surf soon gave way to great cliffs and the majestic beast pulled up into a vertical climb to race up the face of the rocky precipice. He exploded over the top of the cliff in a flurry of beating wings and deafening roars. Before the creature, rolling out into the unimaginable distance was a conurbation of staggering proportions. The cliffs were part of a larger mountain range which angled down into rolling hills before creeping into the outskirts of the city. The never ending city was a thing of breath taking beauty and awe inspiring ingenuity. Towers with a vaguely organic shape, as though they had grown from the soil instead of being forced into existence by the hands of any race, reached high into the early morning mists. Their surfaces, a creamy off white color that resembled nothing so much as bone, shimmered slightly with strange and powerful energies. Carvings and relief work of unimaginable craftsmanship covered the perfect amount of the masterful architecture. Just enough imagery to eliminate any monotony of emptiness on the large expanses of wall space, but never so much as to seem garish or overstated. Everywhere, the eyes were drawn to wondrous scenes of slender yet powerful beings with delicate features that, while slightly angular, were dreadfully beautiful. Images of worship and battle, of exploration and discovery, love stories and fierce rivalries flowed from one edifice to the next, stretching out into the past and telling an eloquent history of a race that had ruled the known universe for countless millennium
The nimble giant darted down into the midst of the city and raced along near ground level. The wide streets and open air parks and plazas gave the dragon room to work his enormous wings with great abandon as he picked up speed and ripped through the air like a shining sapphire arrow. Veering this way and that, between looming towers, over low buildings and under high arched bridges, with uncanny timing, he conjured a powerful vortex by his passing as the air was dragged along in his wake. The few inhabitants of the city who were stirring at this early hour, looked upon the huge beasts awesome display of power, speed and agility with little more than mild amusement for the most part, while some were some were quite annoyed at the disturbance. After all, they knew he was coming well before he had ever topped the ridge line along the coast and turned in toward the city. This particular beast had torn along this same path at mind numbing breakneck speed every morning for as long as most of them could remember. They all knew where the creature was headed and watched as it climbed higher and higher towards the tallest structure in this part of the city. At the top of the shining spire, the dragons’ beloved master was waiting.
Jainara studied her reflection in the tall mirror near her sleep area. The early morning sunlight, filtering in through an open window danced along her flowing amber tresses as she brushed an errant strand away from her thin face. No sooner had she tucked the hair behind one tapered, pointy ear than it fell forward to once again rest along a high, delicately angular cheekbone, much to her irritation. With a sigh of resignation, she drew a long thin strip of fabric from a tanned leather pouch on her belt. The material was a rich blue that caught the light and shimmered like waves on the ocean. Jainara gathered her long hair together and wrapped the strip around and around until her unruly locks were constrained into a sweeping tail that stood out slightly from her head. Her face, the skin a creamy pale hue that marked her entire race, was warmed by the suns rays. Her eyes, pale greenish blue orbs, the color of the oceans, shined with the steady power and unfathomed wisdom of one who had lived for centuries.
Reaching down, she gracefully smoothed her clothing, meticulously straightening it until it fell perfectly to her standards. The supple robe, its deep blue color an exact match to the strip that kept her mane back from her face, was covered with markings sewn right into the fabric itself. These were the runes of the Eldar. These symbols, woven from the Eldars’ innate psychic energy, held unimaginable power and gave the wearer awesome and frightening abilities. The garment danced about Jainara as she moved, transforming her already considerable grace into a stunning display of harmony in motion.
Jainara called out telepathically to her faithful friend and pet, feeling more than hearing his psychic reply. She serenely leaned out of the casement high above the city, stretching out her arm at the exact instant that the great blue beast roared past. Her delicate fingers gently caressed the smooth, soft flesh of the dragons’ underbelly and she was flooded with waves of pure emotion as the creature reveled in the close contact. The creature was past the window in an instant, swooping around to land on the wide balcony on the opposite side of the tower. Jainara slowly turned away from her view if the city and walked across the living area and through a gossamer curtain, emerging onto the terrace just as the dragon folded his massive wings into place along his back. The animal dropped his head slightly to allow Jainara to run her hand along his jaw line and press her forehead to his as their thoughts merged and she saw all that he had seen in his daily flights across the planet. The dragon was able soar along and great heights observing all that transpired in the world below, its powerful wings driving half way around the globe and back in a single day.
“Come friend. Show me my race.” Jainara whispered as she took in the images that the creature had glimpsed along his path.
She saw the great capital city where she now stood, the landscape flowing by like water as the dragon sped through the skies. Thoughts came in flashes and Jainara slowed her breathing and focused her mind to bring the images together into a series of coherent scenes that she could interpret. The longer she watched through the great beasts eyes, the more she fell towards a state of despair and fear for her future. Not just her future, but her sons and daughters future, the future of her very race.
For many minutes, she stood as still and silent as the grave, letting her mind slip free from the dragons’ consciousness. Jainara began to openly weep, the sobs wracking her slender frame, driving her to her knees. She leaned forward and placed pale hand on the floor to steady her self, feeling as though the weight of the universe itself was bearing down on her delicate shoulders. The dragon, sensing Jainaras’ sudden distress, crept over to her slumped form and coiled his great length around her, as if to cradle and comfort her in her sadness. Jainara felt the warmth, both physically and mentally, of the creatures embrace. She could sense how truly desperate the animal was to ease her heart and brighten her spirit.
“How I wish that you could help me old friend.” Jainara whispered to the dragon. “My people have been brought low by their own passions. We feel far too much and understand those feelings, and their consequences, far too little. We have ruled this galaxy for time unimaginable, but our time is fleeting. The Eldar are dying and there is naught that we can do to stop it!”
Copyright Taebeck 2006
