Prologue

A warm breeze stirred the long grasses of the plains. All around, various species of birds sang out, accompanied by the soft swishing of the grasses and soft, steady drone of insects. The sky above was slightly clouded over but the light of the sun still filled the land with golden warmth. For a moment, the breeze changed direction, mixing the scent of distant wildflowers with the surrounding blooms. On a low hill, a short distance from the edge of a large valley, a woman stood up, then a man. Neither of them wore any clothing and seemed to feel no need to, as if the sunlight and wind were enough.

Aeia smiled as Eish took her hand in his. He was beautiful to her. Though no taller than she, his deep brown curly hair pleasantly framed his gently sculpted face and large soft brown eyes which all combined nicely with his soft, smooth earthy skin. When he smiled at her, it gave her a sense of completeness she knew was love. Truly, the One had blessed her greatly in giving her this man and she delighted at the simple touch of his hand to hers. Without words, she turned and led him toward the valley ahead.

As they walked, Eish looked at Aeia. She was as beautiful to him as he was to her. He admired the way her long, nearly black hair seemed to dance in the wind. Her large dark brown eyes seemed to glow whenever she looked at him, illuminating her delicately chiseled features and dusky, cinnamon hued skin. He smiled as well at the warm feeling he felt inside whenever she touched him. He, too, felt greatly blessed to be given this woman to love and cherish all of his days. Wordlessly, he followed her lead as they approached the edge of the great valley.

“What is this place?” he asked as they stopped at the narrow trail leading down the steep slope.

“It is called the Valley of Dawn,” Aeia said. “I was given life here by the One, as you were given life on the bank of the Great River. This is my home I am to share with you.” She looked into his eyes and smiled. This was a day of joy she hoped to celebrate every year for all time. “Come,” she said simply and, still holding his hand, led Eish down into the verdant, fertile Valley of Dawn.

As they walked forward along the path, a new sound began to infuse the air, growing steadily as they moved. After several minutes, they came to the shore of a large lake where flowered grasses grew up from the waters. Some distance away to the left, a waterfall spilled down from high above into the lake, the source of the faint rushing roar they had heard.

“I was born here,” Aeia said, pointing to the shore of the lake. “And that,” she pointed to a recessed area behind the falls, “is where I was brought to waking for the first time.”

Eish nodded, smiling at the sensations he felt in this place, the perfect serenity coupled with the presence of Power that seemed to radiate from everything around them. This was a place of Life and of Light. It was the very beginning of all that lived in the world and Eish couldn’t help but to sense the antiquity of the Power he felt. It was enternal and benevolent, unlike the simple sense of life in the plains above the rim of the valley. Looking into Aeia’s dark brown eyes, he felt how that Power had manifest itself in her. It was love.

“This is your home,” he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

“No, beloved,” she said, smiling her love for him. “It is our home, made for us by the One Who Gives Life. It is a sacred place to the world beyond the edges, a place of ancient memory and power. It shall be our beginning together.”

Aeia turned and continued, Eish still holding her hand as they walked forward down the path through the forest. All around them, the drone of insects provided a steady hum and the fragrances of the blooming flowers filled the air with a sweet perfume that mixed with the more herbacious scent of the trees and grasses in a pleasant sea of aroma. After awhile, they came to the edge of a large clearing and stopped. In the middle of the open space, three tress grew, each one laden with ripe fruit. Beyond they could see a wide path leading away into lighter forest, it’s terminus lost in the distal foliage.

“These trees are always laden with fruit, no matter the season,” Aeia said in hushed tones. “They are sacred. The One Who Gives Life spoke to me of them and said we may eat of two of these trees but the one furthest from this spot we may not eat the fruit of.”

“Why may we not eat of that fruit, Beloved?” Eish asked softly, feeling her words as much as hearing them.

“It is forbidden to eat of lest we die,” she said, looking deep into his eyes as she shared through their eye contact the importance of what she said. [She too felt the presence that was around them, here more so than other places in the valley with the exception of the cave she had been brought to life from.] As he nodded his understanding, she felt a new presence in the clearing, one she had not felt before. Breaking eye contact with Eish, she turned her head to look toward the trees again and gasped. There, before the furthest tree, was a creature of beauty and power. Seeing Aeia’s reaction, Eish turned his gaze also and gasped as well.

The creature was tall and powerfully built, it’s golden scales accented by bronze tiger striping glistening in the sunlight. Around it’s golden eyes, the scales were nearly black, as were it’s hands, feet, and tip of it’s tail which ended in a curved stinger not unlike a scorpion. The beautiful creature regarded the two then gave the equivalent of a serpentine smile.

“I see you hunger and have come in search of food,” the creature said in a pleasant, yet sibilant voice. “Come and eat of this fruit. It will satisfy like no other you shall ever taste of.”

“We are forbidden to eat of it,” Eish said, stepping forward and slightly in front of Aeia.

“Oh, I see the woman has told you this,” the creature said, it’s manner slightly taunting. “I assure you, this fruit need not be forbidden. It is the best of any fruit you will ever partake of.”

“No,” Eish said. “How can you say that? If we eat of it, we shall die.”

“The woman told you this in ignorance,” the creature said derisively. “It is not true. I have eaten of it myself and you can see I am not dead. Taste of it yourself, man. You will see the truth then.”

“I was told this by the One Who Gives Life,” Aeia said, stepping forward to stand beside Eish. “The One told me it was forbidden to eat and should we eat of it, we would die.”

“This ‘One Who Gives Life’ has told you this so that you would not eat it lest you become gods,” the creature said, chuckling.