Free Darkness Falls (Tales of the Wolf) by A.E. McCullough

you have a lot to discuss with the Chosen One but the potion I gave him has a very limited duration and we have much to work on over the next few hours.”
    Eldath nodded. “You are correct Ancient One.”
    Red Crow moved to Graytael’s left and sat down while Eldath moved to his right and mirrored his ghostly companion’s position.
    Anasazi shifted his position until he was directly in front of the young half-elf. “Now, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. In through the nose and out through your mouth. Slowly. Each breath should last a full nine count.”
    Eldath picked up the explanation. “Open your mind. Let it wander far and wide. Do not fix your attention on any one point. Your mind is like a river, flowing throughout your body.”
    Red Crow reached out with both hands and joined hands with his two companions, surrounding their charge. “This will feel a bit strange but trust in Anasazi and in us.” 
    Without waiting for Graytael to respond, the three entities closed their eyes and used their own connection to the Weave to become one with the magic. To anyone that was mortal and watching, they would not have seen anything out of the ordinary, except the old shaman talking to air. But if one was able to peer into the spirit realm by some sort of magical means, then they would’ve seen the two ghosts glowing with an unearthly light which seemed to flow into the ancient shaman. From there, it flowed out of his forehead to surround and encompass the young half-elf.
      *    *    *    *    *
    When Graytael woke up it was morning and he was alone.
    He was still in the forest but the campfire had burned down to nothing but ashes. Holding his hand over top, he did not feel any heat, which told him that it had been hours since the fire went out. However when he looked up at the sun, he noticed that it was not very high in the sky which meant that it must still sometime before highsun. He cocked his head to the side as he tried to put the pieces together but they did not add up. When his stomach growled, he realized that he must have been out for more than a day.
    Hearing the rustling of leaves behind him, Graytael gripped his warclub and drew his ever-present knife.
    “I see that you are finally awake,” came his uncle’s voice.
    Replacing his weapons, Graytael stood up and stretched. “How many days?”
    As Anasazi stepped into the clearing he said, “Just one but I expected to lose at least a day to that spell, so we are not behind schedule.”
    “What did you three do to me?”
    “Only what was necessary. Do you remember what I’ve explained to you about the Weave?”
    Graytael shrugged. “Only slightly. I know that is the term used to describe magic. Some people tend to have a stronger connection to the Weave which leads to them becoming some sort of spellcaster, right?”
    “Kind of…the Weave is life and life is the Weave.”
    “Huh?”
    Graytael fell in beside his uncle as they began walking even as Anasazi talked.
    “This world was created a long time ago by three gods: Hyperion, Terra and Nox. The story of the Trôika is extremely long but I will do my best to be brief and cover that which you need to know and understand. By combining their wills, the Trôika created Terreth and the heavens out of the nothingness of the Void. Now keep in mind that since they created it, they could destroy it…if they wanted to.”
    “But I thought the Dhyana created the world?”
    Anasazi shook his head. “No. The Dhyana is the name given to the Creators’ firstborn children or the Nine Gods that mortals follow. Since they were the Firstborn and created from the substance of the Void, their connection to the Weave is stronger but their fate is still tied to this land.”
    Seeing his nephew nod in his understanding, Anasazi struggled to explain the secrets of the universe without breaking the Covenant and realized that it was not possible so he shifted the conversation to