Chapter 35

chapter Thirty-five

Volencia watched everyone gathering around. Some carried out chairs, others threw more wood on the fire. Children gathered in a large group as close to the fire as they could get. Birna set up three chairs beside Volencia. "Hey, I heard you helped convince Damion to tell the Creation Story, how did you do that? He swore years ago he'd never tell it again."

"I didn't really do anything. Travion asked him, and I told him I'd love to see one of the fire stories, then I kissed him. Why did Damion stop telling that story?" Volencia asked, standing up. "And is there anything I can help you with?"

"Sure, I'm going to run back home and grab a few blankets and get Little Lennion. He loves fire stories, and he's never seen this one." They headed back toward the house. "He doesn't tell this story anymore, but I'm not sure what happened or why. At the time, he'd been in a difficult place, and Travion had been having visions of the future. I think something happened there. He had been on the outs with ma and da for a while during that time. I think he'd mostly decided that he just hated the gods and that he didn't want to tell their story anymore. He's not usually unhappy here, but he's had troubled years. He's not always been as welcome here as he is now."

"He was so excited to come home, and he's never said a single negative thing about anyone or anything here. I didn't know he'd had troubles growing up." Volencia followed Birna into her home and was surprised as she shook Lenny awake.

"Like I said, it's been better recently. Come on baby, dad and Damion are going to be telling a new fire story tonight, you're not going to want to miss it."

"A new one?" The little stripling rubbed at his eyes, lifting his arms up to his mother.

"Yes, baby. Come, they're going to start soon. Volencia, would you grab the blankets out of the chest by the bed please?" Birna pointed to a lovely chest tucked under the window beside their beds.

"How many? Three?" Birna disagreed, asking for four instead. Which Volencia happily snagged, hugging them tightly, opening the door for Birna. "I'm going to grab a few chartis to bring along. I'll be right there."

Damion and Travion were coming out of their parents' house, both helping to carry their father out the door. "Can I help you with anything?" She called over.

"Yeah, why don't you carry dad over and we'll get the blankets." Travion laughed. "We're almost ready."

"I'll be right there." She slipped under the tree, balancing the fruit on the blankets. They were placing their father beside Volencia's chair when she got there. She put the blankets on her own and started pealing the fruit. Damion still seemed off tonight, but he did turn a smile her way. "One quick moment before you head off, can I talk to you for just a second?"

"Sure." He walked away from the crowd a little. "What's up?"

"I just want to thank you. I heard that you haven't told this story in years. I don't know why, but everyone is really excited that you're telling it again. I'm excited to hear it." She took a step closer to him, happy when his hand came up to touch her waist and he didn't back away.

"I know, it's most people's favorite. I just have a hard time with it is all. I decided to tell it tonight, because I think it'll help you understand a little better why I'm having a hard time with everything going on between us. At least a little, anyway." He plucked a piece of chartis out of her hand, popping it in his mouth. She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Then I really, really appreciate what you're doing." He hugged her back, and she felt his lips on the top of her head.

"Okay, I've gotta go. It's time." She let him go, joining his family at their line of chairs. Birna had distributed the blankets, and Lenny asked if he could sit with her, so she pulled him onto her lap, and they cuddled together, waiting for the story to start.

"I love fire stories!" Lenny bounced on her excitedly. For one so little, he was very heavy.

"Don't bounce too much, sweetling. It hurts me a little." He apologized, settling down immediately and leaned against her, his head on her shoulder.

Volencia leaned over, touching big Lennion's arm. "Why did Damion stop telling the creation story?"

His one good eye focused on her. "He hit a dark spot in his life, things weren't going well for him here and he became overwhelmed by being so different, and finding his magic was maturing in ways we couldn't help him understand. He came to believe the gods had forsaken him, and as such, he started to hate them. We did our best to protect him, but it wasn't always easy. Or enough."

The fire blew out suddenly, drowning them in darkness. Volencia jumped. A few others screamed, some of the striplings running for their parents and a shadow stepped forward in the darkness. Volencia exhaled.

"Once, there was a time of darkness. Nothing and no one existed. Somehow, our All Father, whom we call Beloved, came into this dark and desolate place and decided to fill it with beauty. In the darkness, the first thing he created was light." The fire bloomed larger than before, exploding in the darkness. The Samanthians jumped again. Volencia was shocked, but more so because Lenny screamed and squealed before falling into gales of laughter, throwing his arms around her neck.

"Happy with light and warmth, our beloved was overjoyed. But to just create for creations sake would have been chaos in open rambling space. So, he made land and sea as they are today." A sphere glowed green and blue above the fire. Mountains took form and waves crashed. The folk cheered quietly, awed at the sights before them. As land emerged from the waters

"But our beloved was lonely. The first life he brought into this world was a magnificent sight. The great golden dragon." A beautiful glimmering phantom of a dragon roared and flew overhead. Some folk screamed and striplings jumped. Lenny buried his face in her shoulder.

"It's Damion's magic. You don't have to be afraid. It's all part of the story." Volencia whispered, rubbing his back.

"As wise as she was beautiful, she worried that half the world lay in the darkness of shadows and he saw her wise council and agreed. Spinning the world on his finger, he created night and day. The day was lovely and warm, but the night colder and still so dark. Our Beloved then created the moon and the stars to twinkle, giving light and direction to the darkness. And so, night as we know it, was born." But even the light of life, Kaumaris, wasn't enough, shinning in the skyu. So, the All Father chose to create another light, Amaris, which is our blue sun that comes around four times a day, washing its warmth and beauty overall.

The dragon roared again, and from her mouth flew a fire ball, which paled to a cool light hanging over the crowd as little diamonds of light flickered and floated around them, filling the space with an ethereal beauty.

"But the world was vast and good. Our Beloved desired a place to call home, somewhere to return to. He designed the Father tree, a massive beauty, and he loved it, it was his first real home." The tree Damion designed looked like his chartis tree, and her memory took her back to Hero, placing his hand on the chartis tree in the temple of Ephira. He had mourned its loss like he would a family member. It's grown back somewhere it can be loved; I could not force it to come back here to this lonely desolate place. She had told Damion that. Dots were starting to connect.

"But the great golden dragon had her first nesting and left him so she could care for her new brood. Now that he knew what it was like to not be alone, he found he didn't like it. And so, he plucked two fruit from his tree, laid them on the ground, and from the fruit, he grew the first two elves. Twins, who had the first names given to them, Locke and Keye. To each of the elves, he gave a small portion of his own magic, so they could help him work on his beautiful creations."

As with the other images, this one unfolded before them, one glowed blue, the other green. They embraced. "He counted them as brothers and loved each deeply." The way Travion's head jerked a little to the side made her uneasy. "His love was quick to the mark, though who doesn't love their children?"

"Our beloved plucked the leaves from the tree and blew them from his fingers. Everywhere the leaves fell throughout the world, new trees sprouted and that's how our forests and jungles were born. He was happy again, for now he had brothers. Near equals. During this time, the three of them created many of the creatures we know today from the bugs, to birds, fish, and horses, even the Sand Dragons and so many in between. This is also when the elves, dwarves, humans, and Samanthians were born. Each given special skills to work together in peace and harmony. All things were good."