‘Why didn’t they like one another?’ asked Sufia.
‘That’s not important. Anyway . . .’
‘I think it is important,’ said Pharis. ‘Why would gods not like one another?’
Antikas suppressed his irritation. ‘Very well, let us say that one of the gods was evil, the other good. One was a lord of chaos and destruction, while the other loved the light, and delighted to see things grow. They were like night and day.’
‘All right,’ said Pharis. ‘I can understand that. Go on.’
‘Thank you. One day these gods decided to use their great power to cast a spell that would allow their people, the Illohir, to take on fleshly forms. These spirit beings floated down to the earth, and wherever they landed they drew matter to themselves, creating bodies that could walk upon the earth.’
‘How did they do that?’ asked Sufia.
‘I don’t know how they did it,’ snapped Antikas.
‘I do,’ said Ulmenetha. ‘All matter is made up of tiny molecules – so tiny that the human eye cannot see them. They literally drew these molecules to them, like so many bricks and built their bodies.’
‘There,’ said Antikas to Sufia. ‘Does that satisfy you?’
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The child looked mystified. Axiana, who had been listening to the tale, walked across to them, the babe asleep in her arms. Antikas rose and bowed to her. She responded with a smile. ‘I too heard this story,’ she said, softly. There is great beauty in it. Some of the Windborn landed in forests, and drew their strength from the trees. They became Dryads, protectors of woodland, their souls entwined with the trees they loved. Others came down in the mountains, building their forms from the rocks and stones. These were the High Trolls. Some groups emerged near living creatures, like wolves. Because they drew particles from everything around them they became Shape-Shifters, manlike during the day, but becoming wolves at night. All over the world the Illohir took on different forms, and rejoiced in their new-found freedom.’
‘Did any become birds?’ asked Sufia.
‘I expect that they did,’ said Axiana.
‘That means Bison is a demon,’ said Sufia, ‘because he once had big white wings and flew over mountains.’
‘Must have been really big wings,’ said Antikas.
Conalin joined them. ‘If they were all so happy why did they start a war with people?’
Ulmenetha answered him. ‘They weren’t all happy. Some of the Windborn had landed in places that were . . . unclean. Battlefields, graveyards, scenes of violence or terror. What they drew into themselves was dark and fearsome. These became the Hollow Tooths, who suck blood from sleepers. Or the Krayakin, who live for war and slaughter.’
‘And these were the ones who started the war?’ persisted Conalin.
Antikas took up the story again. ‘Yes. The real problem was in the nature of the spell which brought the
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Windborn to the earth. They were . . . are . . . creatures of spirit, and though they could build their bodies with magick, they could not hold them together for long. They could not feed as we do, and, as the years passed, some of the Illohir began to wither away, and return to the air. Those that remained needed to find a new source of nourishment. We were that nourishment. The Illohir began to feed on human emotions. The Dryads, the fauns, and other creatures of the forest found they could draw energy from human happiness and joy. That is why there are so many stories of wild celebration involving fauns and humans. Fauns were said to have invented wine, to further enhance human joy. But the darker demons fed on terror and dismay – as you saw back in Usa. It was said that the fear and pain inspired in a human tortured to death could feed a demon for years. And because they had magick – which gave them domination over us – they treated us like cattle, as a food source. Mankind suffered through many centuries under their rule, until at last three human kings rebelled against them. The war was long and terrible, the battles many.’
‘How did we win?’ asked Conalin.