My Favorite Fairy Tale

This is an unusually short chapter for me, but I promise 11 will be of normal length.

In a small village a tanuki demon stood up from her spring planting. The leaves of the over hanging trees trembled and colors flared. Ripples of light racing ahead of a low thick sound. She felt the rumbling in the ground and closed her eyes. Flashes and images appeared. When she looked up, she noticed the other demons moving to put away their tools. Her friend the Human Aoya stopped her.

"What's going on, what was that?"

She turned around and noticed the humans staring. "The Overlord of the West, Sesshomaru has sent out The Call. He was…

* * *

In a small town, which was still celebrating the marriage, a young red fox remembered Jarrul and wondered if one day he too could become an Outer Guard. One ear twitched, he could almost… hear... something strange. Going outside the inn, he stopped. The old miko pointed at the sky. Colors flew in quick succession, followed by a sound that shook his very bones.

He ran to the miko, "Grandmother, what does it mean?!"

"I know not, I have never seen such a thing in my many years. Hanni! Tell me what this message is?"

Hanni ran over, his hair as grey as the frost of the lake. He closed his eyes and cocked his head as if listening. Afterwards he opened his eyes to see the people of his village staring at him, in a cracked and soft voice, he spoke, "It is The Call, my friend. All demons, all humans, save those who will stay to protect the children, must report to the Citadel. War has come. The Eastern Lady has tried to frame the Southern Lord for an attack on our Lord. She has failed but now the lands rise up to destroy the East. She has allied with Naraku, the upstart.

"Men, women, arm thyselves. Some will stay but most shall go. We will not allow that loathsome cur Naraku to destroy the Peacebringers!"

The red fox cheered along with the village, he would be going to the Citadel, if he served well, perhaps when the time came he would be accepted as an Outer Guard after all!

* * *

In his castle, Overlord Minabi, Lord of the South, stroked his daughter's cheek and nodded to his mate before he moved to the stairs, climbing slowly. He thought of what his Call should say.

Reaching the tower, he opened it and entered slowly. Inside a wide white stone brazier sat on a red stone pedestal, the flames burning a shining white. Over the brazier on a cushion of hot air rested a thin plate of clear glass, no wider than a sheet of paper. Reaching across the brazier, he picked up a short obsidian sword. Slicing the gleaming black blade down the length of his arm, he let the blood drip onto the glass plate. The blood boiled and sizzled as he knelt beside it. Leaning close, he blew a breath of air over it.

"Hear me, my people, bound to this land and myself by blood. The Lady of the East has betrayed us. She sought to blame us for an attack on the Western Lord, she bides her time with the cull Naraku. She seeks war. She will get it. Arm yourselves and approach. Hear me!"

* * *

In the north, in every village, a flat-topped pyramid of brown stone crawled it's way up through the earth. Suddenly, as if an invisible pen was writing in crystal ink, letters made of clear crystal appeared.

The headman of one village approached close and read it aloud to his people.

"My people of the northlands.

The prophecy of the Peacebringers will be fulfilled.

To do so, they requires our help.

The time of the Age of Strife is upon us!

Arm thyselves, Arm thy neighbor.

We shall meet on the plains."

The headman nodded and stood up. "We go to war."

Around him he could hear the whispers of the Peacebringers. He knew the prophecy as well as any and knew as he looked over his village that many would go to fight for a new world, but few would return.

End Chapter 10