Chapter I, Reading 6

"No, my little one, don't underestimate yourself.  You’re far more than you realize.  We’ve all recognized your greatness."

Flindra shook her head.  "I'm not all that special," she argued in a whisper.

"Just after Eghero fell ill, we both began to have dreams telling us it was time to share our long hidden secret with you but we delayed sharing the knowledge of your birth.  We knew that you would have to leave us as soon as you heard the truth and Eghero didn’t want to part with you before he left life."  Dakra sighed sadly.  "Unfortunately, the dream comes to me every night and the message is becoming more forceful, so I know I can't wait any longer.  I had to tell you today."

Flindra frowned.  "Does Leudh know?"

"He’s always known the truth.  He was old enough to remember everything when you were brought to us."

"Oh."

Dakra smiled through her tears.  "I remember everything as if it were yesterday.  You brought me joy, such a deep happiness to my heart that I can't describe it.  My cheeks grew sore during those first few weeks for there was always a smile on my face.  At last, I had the daughter I'd always longed for.  You were such a sweet little baby and you took to us so quickly.  The joy of having you has lasted all these years.  You've always been so kind, helpful and loving."

She laughed softly in celebration of her memories.  "At first Eghero and I were a little afraid of the responsibility we’d been given.  Kewero told us that you will take your place among the great."

"Kewero?"

"That's the name of the old woman who left you here.  She made several visits to see how you fared during the first few years you were with us."

"I don't remember her."

"I think that's why she stopped coming.  I think she wanted to remain unknown to you.  At least until the time you had to begin your destiny."

"Oh."

Dakra reached over and took her daughter's hand in her own.  "We tried to teach you things that would help you fulfill your fate.  We decided to teach you the wisdom of nature, so you could always survive within her bounty.  You should always remember that nature provides not only subsistence, but is a vast source of wisdom and knowledge as well.  Nature is one way to gaze upon the face of the Spirit.  The Spirit is reflected in our mortal realm in the world around us."

"Papa always was pointing that out to me.  He said that knowledge would always bring me peace and strength."

Chapter VII, Reading 5

Kewero patted Flindra's hand, which was still resting on her arm. "The Spirit has extended my days so I can be the connection between you and the King and Queen."

"Are you immortal?" Flindra asked in an awed tone.

"No, not at all. I have aged over the years, just more slowly and I'm sure I will know death when my purpose here is ended." The old woman sighed. "I have no wish to be immortal, Flindra. It is the natural order of things to die and rejoin the Spirit."

Kewero's eyes became distant when she returned to her memories and her story. "My Lady Queen told me she had a dream just before she gave birth to her daughter and only child. In her dream, the Spirit warned her that she needed to hide her baby to keep the child safe from the Ansu. King Meldh made plans to hide her as soon as the Queen told him of this warning.

"The King and Queen used a contraction of their names to name the new princess. Her name would always honor her parents for she would never know them and the name would become a reminder of her heritage." Tears appeared in Kewero's eyes. "Princess Melenth was a beautiful babe and had her mother's auburn hair. I didn't get to see much of her, no one did. The King and Queen didn't want to risk her life by keeping her too long. Melenth needed to be hidden where she could survive and where she would be safe to continue the dynasty. They grieved at her loss but they understood it was the only way to keep her alive.

"They decided to hide her among the simple people of the forest. This was the safest place they could think of for they believed that the Ansu wouldn't bother to hunt down the scattered woodsmen." Kewero smiled through her tears. "When the Spirit chose Dakra and Eghero to be your family it brought the line of King Meldh full circle. The first and last children to be hidden from the Ansu grew up in the homes of woodsmen."

"I, for one, am very glad of that. I could not have had a happier home."

"Which pleases me. I have served you well and by doing so have served my beloved Queen and the Spirit. She asked me to become the hidden guardian of Princess Melenth and to find safe places for all the children who would follow. We both knew that eventually the Ansu would discover our survival and would hunt down the children of her line to prevent the birth of our prophesied champion. The Spirit has guided me in my selections of homes to hide your ancestors in. I have placed them with many different types of people so no one group would be singled out in the Enemy's hunt. The Spirit's strategy was most wise for the line continued to you. You were born and have reached me. It is time for you to begin your destiny."

"I'm overwhelmed," she admitted in a tiny voice. "I have to confess that I feel unequal to the responsibility fate has allotted to me. I feel very ordinary and I definitely don't feel like the hero I will need to become to defeat the Ansu."

Chapter VII, Reading 2

"The Spirit loves all His creation and He is always willing to forgive us when we have erred. He always wants to bring us Home. We need to seek forgiveness in honesty and turn back from our wrongs, but He will always grant us pardon and welcome us back into His heart."

"Papa always stressed the Spirit's profound sense of forgiveness," Flindra agreed.

"So think about it – the Ansu are the Spirit's children, too. I'm certain their evil actions cause Him the deepest of all possible sorrows, but they are still His children."

Flindra was clearly stunned and her hand touched her lips as she breathed in swiftly in surprise. "Oh," she finally whispered. "I never thought about that."

"The Spirit aids us in standing fast against the Ansu menace, but He won't destroy them."

"So they always have a chance for redemption," Flindra finished.

"It does explain things," Kewero noted. "I may be totally wrong in my belief in this matter, but I am certain of the Spirit's love and the hope of His forgiveness."
"There’s a lot to think about."

"There is, but today I think you need to learn about the Ansu so we can stand fast against them. Are you ready to continue?"

Flindra nodded.

"I’ve learned in my years of study that there is a hierarchy within the ranks of the Ansu. The chief authority is centered with the Kwetwer, which means the Four. Each one of the Kwetwer has different powers and spheres of influence. They are in constant contact with the reality of Darkness. They are extremely dangerous individually. They are nearly unbeatable when their powers are combined.

"There was only one of the Kwetwer present with the forces of the Ansu when they swept through our world a millennium ago. Only one was sufficient to destroy our greatest champion, King Meldh. After the Kwetwer defeated our champion, the Ansu commenced a campaign of destruction. They destroyed so much they apparently assumed our world would collapse and disappear into chaos. Then they departed to other places."

Flindra shook her head. "Why destroy us? Wouldn't the strength of Darkness increase if they corrupted us instead?"

Chapter V, Reading 6

When the tree had been blown over, it had pulled up a chunk of ground with its tangled root system. This shallow berm was the only shelter Flindra had from the wind and thus it was the best place to make her fire.

The wind teased her as it blew out the tiny sparks from her flint before they could start the tinder on fire. Flindra wrapped her body around the tinder to provide some protection from the wind. After many tries, she finally got a spark to ignite the small chips of wood. She nursed the flickering flame along - slowly adding more fuel until it burned with an intensity that the wind could not extinguish.

Flindra usually made small fires to minimize the notice of unfriendly eyes. Tonight she ignored that precaution. She needed all the warmth she could get from the fire to survive a night with the frozen north wind as a companion. She would have to trust the power of Rigga to protect her from danger tonight.

Dawn was long in coming as Flindra hovered near the fire. She dozed occasionally as the night passed but she had to stay awake most of the time to keep the fire going. She remembered happy times from her childhood to warm her heart even as her body ached from the cold. She knew the value of diverting her thoughts to better endure unpleasant situations.

Normally, Flindra would pack up her camp and be on her way by daybreak. This morning, she lingered by her fire until the sun eased the worst of the bitter cold of the pre-dawn hours. She finally tied her belongings to Deru's saddle and continued on her way.

Flindra rode hour after hour across the desolate plain. Her mind became numb after hours of the dreary sameness. There weren't even trees anymore to break the monotony of the landscape. Moreover, it was cold, so very cold. She huddled in the saddle to keep her cloak as close to her body as possible. Her toes ached as she wiggled them to keep them from freezing. The pain eventually spread from her feet into her legs. She pulled her feet from the stirrups so she could move her legs too. She wondered at times if she would ever be warm again.

By mid-afternoon, Flindra noticed a change in the landscape. This part of the Northern Reaches was not as flat as it appeared from a distance. The plain was intersected by a number of narrow and deep gullies and small valleys. The crystal sphere suddenly started to vibrate and Flindra reached into her tunic and withdrew the orb. It was clear the crystal was directing her towards the entrance to one of these small valleys.

"Let's hope we are getting close, Deru," she said as she slipped the orb back into her tunic. "I'm tired," she confessed to the horse, "and I know you are, too."
She reined Deru into the valley. She rode for several miles and suddenly felt the orb grow still and cold. Before she could reach into her tunic, she heard a voice call, "Welcome to my home Princess Flindra."