The Beast of Ildenwood: 11. The War, the Guardian, and the Artifact

“It’s time you tell me about that artifact,” the Wanderer says. Lahab had always known this question would come sooner or later. Now, here it is. His strange yellow eyes bore into her, and she looks away. “Tell me about this Muna, and tell me about the war. There’s still so much I don’t know. I don’t remember...”

“Alright,” she replies, staring into the flames of their little campfire. After the killing of Zerban, she had realized that the inn – or, really, anywhere in Sowarr – would not be safe. At least, nowhere where there were people would be safe. And so they sent their message to Deletrear at the inn, and told him all there was to tell, and left the charming little building behind, seeking shelter elsewhere.

The forests bordering the northern parts of Sowarr remind Lahab of home. Though she has been checking on the condition of Ildenwood several times a day, she still feels ill at ease being so far away. The battlefield lies so close to her home. Were something to happen, it would take days for her to return – and by then the forest could very well have already sustained a great deal of damage. She tries not to think too much about this very real possibility. She tries to remind herself that this is for the greater good. That it is bigger than her forest.

And it is only fair for the Wanderer to know everything she does. But where to begin?

“Start with the war,” he suggests, crossing his arms and leaning back against the log. “Tell me how it began. Tell my why it began.”

“The others might know better than I,” she admits. “For the two years prior to its beginning, I lived a life of solitude in my forest. There is not much that I know of the world from that time. What I do know is that the lands to the west began traversing the sea between their continent and ours, bringing their soldiers to camp on the shores. The kingdoms all perceived this as a threat, and rightfully so. The soldiers attacked and pillaged the small towns near the shores – peaceful fishing villages – and proceeded to advance eastwards.”

She cannot imagine how terrifying it must have been for those people. One day, they were going about their regular mundane lives, and the next, their villages were being burnt down, their homes pillaged, their families attacked, injured – killed. The very thought makes her heart burn.

“There were many skirmishes. Our kings were optimistic in the beginning. They thought diplomacy would bring an end to this unexpected aggression from our neighbours across the sea, and in the meantime, they were determined to keep the peace and stop the advance of these foreign armies. They hesitated to bring forth the full extent of their armies, hoping that there may still be a way to reason with the strangers. But the envoys they sent were all returned – murdered. There was no negotiation to be had, no peace to be made.”

Lahab shudders and shifts closer to the fire. The Wanderer says nothing. She cannot tell what he is thinking, or if the story sounds familiar to him. For the first time, she wonders if perhaps he comes from across the sea, if maybe he is one of the soldiers who appeared and wreaked havoc on their shores.

The timeline certainly adds up. The mercenaries – soldiers – whatever they were – had already reached Ildenwood by the time she had come upon him in her forest. He might have been a scout sent ahead. He might have stolen into her forest – but could he do so without attracting any attention? None of her defense and monitoring methods had warned her of an intruder. At least, they hadn’t warned her of him. They had worked just fine with the other men chasing her.

She puts the thought out of her mind for now. Whatever the case, he is now an ally, and too much of an interesting figure to go unsupervised.

“That was when our armies were deployed,” she continues. “By then, of course, it had been a handful of months, and the enemy had advanced. That was also when I first began to notice them. They were coming closer to Ildenwood, and I knew that whatever was happening would place my forest in danger. And there, too, was the issue of Muna.”

She adds another piece of wood to the campfire, watching the flames wrap around it. The crackling is soothing. It reminds her that the fighting is far away. That, for now, there is still hope. That she must have hope.

“All Guardians know of the artifact,” she explains. “It is one of several artifacts that we protect in secrecy. To have any one of them fall into the wrong hands could spell disaster for millions of innocent people. Muna is no exception. It is an artifact of immense power, and many believe that the one who wields and controls Muna would have unchallenged dominion over the world. But they are wrong.

“Muna does not bend to the will of the one who awakens it. The legends are difficult to decipher and have been marred with obscurity over time, but we believe that Muna is an unstoppable force. Uncontrollable. The only hope we have is where it is awakened. The conditions of its awakening will determine the form it shall take – and what it will do.”

“I don’t understand,” the Wanderer says. “The conditions of its awakening – what do you mean by that?”

Lahab considers how best to explain. All of it, of course, is simple inference on the part of the Guardians, but according to her father’s teachings, Muna could be many things, and it is difficult to easily describe the artifact. After all, the last time it was used was eons ago, and nobody alive today has ever witnessed such an event. There is still so much that is hidden to them about Muna.

“A child who grows in a warm and loving home, and in a safe and caring community, will normally grow up to be a good person,” she says. “A child who grows in a place of violence and abuse, conflict and insecurity – well, they may end up falling prey to a darkness. The same can be said of Muna. That is how my father explained it to me. And there are only two places in which Muna has been known to have been awakened: Burj Annur and Athar Addhallam. One is a place of light, and the other, a place of darkness.”

“So, if Muna is awakens in a place of darkness, it will mean catastrophe for millions of people around the world?” the Wanderer asks, shifting his outstretched legs a bit farther from the campfire.

“That is correct.”

“And if it is awakened in a place of light...”

“Well, the assumption would be the opposite would take effect,” Lahab says. “At least, that is what legend has told us. But we cannot know for certain. Details of this artifact and its history are shadowed by time.”

“So, why don’t you just leave it buried or locked away somewhere safe instead of carrying it around with you?” the Wanderer asks, shrugging.

“It was buried. It was buried in the Ruins of Ateeq,” she tells him. “It is Ateeq that lies between Ildenwood and the war that rages to the west. Because of our duty to protect this artifact, my father had been monitoring it while he was alive – quite like how I can monitor the forest from anywhere in the world. It is that which alerted me when they began digging at the ruins.

“For days and nights, they dug and dug. But they did not find Muna. I hoped they would give up their search and leave – for I knew by then that they were searching for something. When I received notice that they had found it – that the artifact had been discovered – I acted quickly. I stole into the ruins using the Lydiadem, found where they made camp, and stole the artifact. They must have noticed, because they gave chase all the way back to Ildenwood. Coincidentally, that was the day that I found you lying unconscious in my forest.”

The Wanderer frowns, considering this information. Perhaps he still does not remember how he came to be there, but he would. Until then, Lahab will keep a watchful eye on him.

“I now believe that Muna is the entire reason why these enemies have landed on our shores,” she concludes. “I must keep it safe, or the entire world shall pay the price.”

“How do you plan to keep it safe when there’s an entire army of soldiers on the lookout for it?” the Wanderer asks. “Why not simply hide it again, and run away? Nobody would know where it is.”

“The awakening has already begun,” Lahab says grimly. “It started as soon as Muna was excavated. We do not know what will happen if it completes its awakening outside of the two known locations, and it is not a risk we are willing to take. Not with something so powerful. I have been watching it carefully, but so far there has been no change to its condition. That – and I would be remiss to forget the war. If our suspicions about Muna are correct, then once it is awakened into a place of light, it may put an end to the calamities plaguing the world it comes into.” She runs her fingers through her hair nervously. “Well, we hope it will, in any case. That is why I must deliver the artifact to Burj Annur before it completes its awakening.”

“I understand,” the Wanderer says, staring into the fire with a thoughtful expression. “In that case, I will continue to help you on your quest. Where is Burj Annur?”

“It is on the easternmost tip of the continent,” she admits. “Still very far away. The awakening takes time, I am told, to come about naturally. Muna will awaken as soon as it is brought to one of the two locations, but left to its own devices, it will take quite some time before it awakens. Since we do not know what may happen if it awakens outside of Burj Annur or Athar Addhallam, I hope we have enough time to deliver it safely to the better of the two locations. If we are fortunte, we may still have months before such an event.”

“I suppose we will need that time,” he guesses.

“Yes,” she says. “Burj Annur is very far. It stands at the top of a steep cliff overlooking the Athar Addhallam. It is a place where two extremes exist – one of pure light, and one of pure darkness. I am certain that once they have the artifact in their hands, they will take it there.”

“But we still don’t know which of the two locations they would choose to awaken Muna at,” the Wanderer muses, rubbing his chin. “Rationally speaking, they would not awaken it at a place of darkness. They, too, must be concerned about the effects of such an awakening.”

“Not necessarily,” Lahab tells him. “You must remember that the artifact was in my safekeeping, and in my father’s before me. As a result, I know more about the artifact and its history than any of the other Guardians, save for a few exceptions. I fear they do not know the truth of Muna – that instead, they believe it is something to be controlled and wielded to force dominion over the world. If they truly believe this to be so – and if their armies are any indication – they are not making all of this trouble to disturb the peace of our world in order to use Muna for good.”

She shakes her head, sighing deeply. “I fear they wish to use Muna to conquer the world.”

He does not answer this time, but she can see he understands her point. The very idea that Muna will be used as a weapon is terrifying – not least because it cannot be used. Turned into a weapon, perhaps. Awakened as a weapon, rather. But used? Nobody can control Muna. Nobody can use Muna.

To turn Muna into a weapon would be to bring an end to their world as they knew it and rain calamity down on these lands, once so peaceful.

And she had promised her father she would protect everything he had entrusted her with with her life.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Lahab glances at the Wanderer. “Simple. Get it to the Burj. Awaken it at the top of Burj Annur."

“And then?”

“And then,” Lahab says, swallowing hard. “And then we hope for the best.”