3Prologue
The forest that covers the Benvera mountains is dark, even on the brightest of days. It grows so thick, and so aggressively that it will barely even yield to the tree line near the mountain peaks. Benvera stone is an ancient force, though, and it will only put up with so much before it fights back. After a certain point, the soil becomes so salty, and the rock so smooth, that the trees have nothing to cling to, and they wither and die before they're yet saplings—the mountains refuse to be blinded to the world by voracious, land-hungry plants. So, unable to spread themselves out, the restless trees grow themselves broad bows and deep, gnarled roots as they wait for death, blocking the sun's rays from reaching the forest floor.
The creatures that call Benvera their home thus live in darkness, with large eyes and large teeth, preying on everything but the mountain itself. But for a single clearing in all the vast expanse of the forest—right at the base of the tallest mountain, everything lays in shadow.
The creatures dare not tread on that bit of open ground, the sun never strikes the exposed stone, and even the wicked trees shall never grow there in fear of the place, or in some form of respect more twisted than all of their strange and vicious roots. But what could lead to such a scar; to such a perfectly round, perfectly horrible void in the unforgiving forest?
Perhaps only those steadfast Benvera mountains recall the story of how that terrible clearing was made—back when the forest was not so cruel, and there were those in the world who would still stand for freedom and hope, no matter the cost…
(A/N): Ok, new story...my goal is to have this finished by the end of 2006! It's going to be fairly long, but...well I hope it'll be fun, and length isn't really an issue when you're inspired! A lot of planning has gone into this, so I hope everyone likes it. Remember to leave me reviews, please! Constructive criticism is very much appreciated...(although compliments wouldn't be unwelcome, either... :D ) Also, starting at Chapter 1, I'm going to try to reccomend another FictionPress story that I think is worth reading...Hopefully send some readers over to good authors! Lastly, if you give me a legitimate review on any of my stories I will gladly R & R a story of yours. If you would like me to read a particular one, just note that at the end of your review. Thank you!
Up Next: Ch. 1: Ailonn- Adra receives terrible news, and everything is set in motion...