Fire Wrath
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Paul Geran
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Foreword

10,000 years ago, the world of Nabru had been ruptured, scarred and left a desolate, barren landscape. The cause of this Armageddon was not known, but lived on in the lives of the survivors and their descendants. At the present time it is referred to as the "Fire Wrath." Tales that lived on described a horror of flames and searing heat. Waves of destruction sweeping over a once, beautiful land. Now it appears that this terror may arrive once more to annihilate the realm of Nabru once and for all. One man has a vision of what is coming....one girl has the power to stop it.

Chapter I

Guivarch knelt and gazed up at the purple laden sky. He noticed the almost metallic sheen of the clouds as they floated by, like a slow procession of snow bears. He remarked to himself how beautiful it all was, like a majestic painting of a fantasy land. He was shaken out of his trance by a warm breeze that gently rustled the leaves of the amber oak trees that stood behind him. Guivarch frowned. He had been noticing lately that a subtle rise in the temperature was occurring. As a scholar he knew that this was not in keeping with the seasonal changes of Nabru. Normally he would regard something like this as merely a strange episode which could doubtlessly be explained by science and logic. This time however, Guivarch felt that it was something beyond science and he was far from comfortable with that thought.

Guivarch returned to Castle Aidar, while pondering the sense of foreboding that grew inside of him. He was determined to source out it's meaning and to determine if there was any real threat.

Aidar had been the home of the ruler's of Nabru for the past 300 years. It was still a magnificent structure and the archaic, looking architecture only served to increase it's reality of a building designed to protect and defend the King. Guivarch approached and entered over the heavy, cedar drawbridge. It had survived long enough to have had troops of soldiers clatter across it and numerous royal carriages rumble over it's hard-wearing planks. Nowadays it lived a rather more mundane existence, with people of a less adventurous nature crosing over it. Guivarch continued on through the cobblestone courtyard and through the side, arched door that led to the East staircase. On his way up to his quarters he passed the castle library and felt a strong, though unexplainable compulsion to go in. Once inside he looked around at all the books that were so familiar to him and wondered as to why he was drawn into the room.

He shrugged and was about to leave when he noticed a particular book at the end of one of the top shelves. He reached up and saw that it's binding was a lot cleaner than the rest. It was as if someone had taken it down and wiped away the years of dust that had accumulated on it's leather, page-worn cover. He looked at the title and saw that it was one of the chronicles of Nabru's past that had been written over 500 years ago. He skimmed through the pages, wondering about the dedication of the author and admiring his skilled writing, when he noticed a chapter entitled "Fire Wrath". Guivarch had heard of this as some of the old people recounted tales of a great disaster that had swept through Nabru, several millennia before. No-one really knew exactly what it was about, but all were aware that it held fear for the old folk who spoke of it. Guivarch settled down to read in a corner of the library with a childlike enthusiasm, not knowing that by the time he'd finish, his curiosity would have opened his mind to a glimpse of hell.

It was nearly midnight and Guivarch had been sitting for at least half an hour without moving a muscle. His face was white and drawn, like that of a man who had seen something beyond his level of fear. He was awestruck and it was the book that he had read that was the cause of this temporary stasis of his mind. What he had read had driven a dagger of fear and disbelief deep into his heart and soul. He realized that the future was near at hand and that it held the destruction of an astronomical force.

When he shook himself out of his trance, Guivarch ran over in his mind what he had seen written down before him. 10,000 years ago, a catastrophic event had left Nabru in pieces. The book described a rising of temperature followed by a darkening of the sun. The sky had turned crimson and the animals had ceased all activity. Then in a spine shattering explosion, the heavens had erupted and split apart in a wave of fire and searing heat. A shockwave had leveled everything from tress to grass and people were thrown about like chaff from wheat. Those that survived the invisible power, lived only to suffer a worse fate. The ripple- like waves of fire descended on the land to scorch and burn everything that it could reach.

Men, women and children screamed in a symphony of torturous agony. Their skin dissolved to lay open their bones for the fire to char them to ashes...and when calm had arrived once more, the sight was the epitomy of disaster and desolation. The whole event had only taken a matter of minutes, but it was enough time to annihilate 23 million souls. Those that survived were the valley dwellers, the earth diggers and the water sylphs.

Most wished they hadn't when they emerged to see the land they called home laid waste and it's people destroyed beyond recognition. The winds gradually blew away the ashes of the slain, where they vanished as quickly as they had been slaughtered. Guivarch trembled uncontrollably, not just because of what he had read, but more so because he knew that it was approaching the time where this armageddon would once again descend like a falling sun, onto the realm of Nabru.

Guivarch rose and went slowly to the doorway. He knew that he had to tell the King of this discovery, but at the same time why should the King believe him. After all it was all based on an ancient book and a feeling of apprehension that Guivarch felt. He knew himself that if someone else was telling him this he would have trouble believing it without some form of concrete evidence. However he knew he must try.

He entered the throne room and found the King sitting on the floor playing with his daughter, Sindel. She was a lively and joyful child and Guivarch was quite fond of her. When he approached the King greeted him with a warmth that was typical of old friends. "What is it that has you so haggard, my friend," he asked Guivarch with a jovial tone in his voice.

"Lord Duaq, I have grave news that I need to discuss with you in private."

The King nodded and ushered Sindel out of the room. "Tell me your news, perhaps it is not as bad as you seem to think it is." The King listened as Guivarch recounted his feelings of fear and anxiety, he told him of the unusual weather patterns that were occurring, and also of the story of the Fire Wrath. All the time the King listened with great intent. He had great respect for Guivarch who had been a friend and an advisor for many years.

"So, it appears that we may have a bit of a crisis on our hands, eh Guivarch," "Yes sire, I fear for the very existence of our land and it's people."

"Very well, I have always found you to be of sound mind and I see know reason why this should be any different. It is clear that the weather is behaving in an unusual manner and this coincides with what you read in the chronicle. Guivarch, if you are correct it would appear that we are not long from a danger unlike any we have faced before. However I will not sit idly by and wait to be destroyed. I will arrange for my architects to try and draw up some designs that may protect us from this Fire Wrath and you....you will scour all the literature that you can find for some mention of a way to prevent this or at least to lessen it's effect. I know that the chances are slim but we must try. I'm relying on you Guivarch. Do your utmost." Guivarch turned and headed out the door to his quarters. He would have to get a good nights rest for he felt it would be a long time before he would have the time to sleep soundly again.