Heather Alexander Shadow Stalker
It was just a week till Sovven, and the nights were
turning chill
And the battle turned to stalemate, double-bluff, and
feint and drill
When a shadow drifted northward, just a shadow, nothing
more.
No one noticed that the shadows grew all darker that
before.
No one noticed that the shadows seemed to creep into
the heart,
But from then the fight for freedom seemed a fool's
quest from the start.
All the hopes that they had cherished seemed unreasoned
and naive
Nothing worth the strength to pray for, or to strive
for, or believe.
And the shadows stole the sunlight from the brightest
autumn day,
As they sang a song of bleakness that touched every
heart that heard
As they whispered words of hopelessness, all courage
fled away,
And they wove a smothering blanket over all, that lived
and stirred.
Herald Vanyel came upon them, and he sensed a subtle
wrong,
And there was some magic working; deeply hidden, yes,
but strong.
And it moves and worked in secret, like poison in the
vein
Like a poison meant to weaken, this was magic meant to
drain.
Herald Vanyel saw the Shadows, and they turned their
wiles on him
For one moment even he began to fell his spirit dim-
But he saw their secret evil, and he swore ere he was
done
He would stalk and slay these Shadows, and destroy them
one by one.
Herald Vanyel, Shadow Stalker, hunted Shadows to their
doom
They turned all their powers upon him, turned away from
other men
And although they strove to take him, he unwove their
web of gloom.
So the Shadows fled his anger, their creator sought
again.
Herald Vanyel faces the Singer who had sung them into
life
And she sang to him of grief and loss that cut him like
a knife.
And she sang to him of self-hate, and she wove a net of
pain
With her songs of woe and hopelessness bent to be
Vanyel's bane.
"So now what is there to strive for?" was the song she
sang to him.
And the shadow came upon his heart, the world grew gray
and dim.
But the Singer of The Shadow did not know the foe she
fought,
Now how dear he held his duty, nor by what pain power
was bought.
Herald Vanyel looked upon her, and he saw through her
disguise
And she strove then to seduce him into death or madness
sweet.
Herald Vanyel looked within him, and he saw her songs
were lies,
And he gathered up his magic then, her powers to
defeat.
Herald Vanyel raised his golden voice and sang of life
and light,
Of the first cry of a baby, of the silver stars of
night.
Herald Vanyel sang of wisdom, sang of courage, sang of
love,
Of the earth's sweet soil beneath him, of the vaulting
sky above,
Sang of healing, sang of growing, sang of joy and hope
and dreams,
And the Singer Of The Shadows felt the death of all her
schemes.
It was then she tried to flee him, but his song and
magic spell
Struck her down and held her pinioned and she faltered,
and she fell.
Then the Singer Of the Shadows saw her Shadows shatter
there,
Saw her lies unmade before her, saw her darkness turned
to day
And how empty and how petty was the spirit then laid
bare-
Like her Shadow then she shattered, and in silence
passes away.