by J C Maynard
Tayben looked around at the fifteen cloaked figures around him and still felt chilled inside. “Sir, I’m — why do you want me?”
The General smiled slightly. “That, you must discover for yourself, Mr. Shae.”
Tayben looked back at Gallien. “Are you the shadow figure I’ve been seeing?”
“We all are, Tayben.” said the General. “Our mission is to accomplish what no others can, to insure the safety of Cerebria and our families. You want to do what you can to protect Woodshore, do you not?”
Tayben stumbled. “Of course I do . . . but what is it you want me to do?”
General Lekshane spoke. “You will see soon enough. And Tayben . . . this may be difficult at first to hear, but all Phantoms have been reported as dead by the army . . . that will now include you.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Your parents will receive a letter soon, stating that you have lost your life. We don’t leave you much choice, I know. But if you truly want what’s best for this country and for your family, you will become a Phantom soldier. Look around at your new brothers; we have all paid this price.”
Tayben sat in silence. This can’t be real.
General Lekshane extended his hand. “Walk with us now. We haven’t much time. I will now hand you off to your company leader, Sir Thephern Luck.”
A cloaked figure stepped forward from behind Tayben. Two very long, slightly curved swords hung from his belt beneath his cloak. He was very tall, and his thick hair was wavy on top of his head. “Greetings soldier.” he welcomed. “Thephern Luck. I can answer your questions as we walk.”
The fifteen Phantoms began walking behind General Lekshane. They moved like ghosts, eerily seeming to glide over the vegetation. The black parade of silent soldiers followed the General up a half fallen tree trunk like the one Tayben had used to enter the canopy. Vines, mushrooms, and moss covered the trunk which was wider than several door frames and rose so high that the forest floor was no longer visible through the fog. “Sir . . . Luck, was it?”
“Thephern Luck, yes.”
“General Lekshane said that you were my company leader.”
Thephern stepped over a gigantic knot in the tree. “There are sixteen Phantom soldiers: General Lekshane and three companies or platoons of five. I am one of the three company leaders. Alongside you in our company is Gallien Aris, whom you already know, Chent Vantte, and Ferron Grenzo.”
Tayben raised a hand to greet the soldier named Chent, who carried a bow. His face was flatter than most and his eyes were slanted. Chent gave a slight nod and nothing more.
“Yeah,” said Thephern. “Chent doesn’t talk very often.”
Tayben turned around and met the eyes of a very dark-skinned, toned man around twenty three. He introduced himself as Ferron Grenzo and patted Tayben on the back, much friendlier than the others in the company. Ferron smiled with wide eyes. “You’re in for a journey my friend. I saw you dodge that spear the other day, sorry for spying. I can’t imagine how good you’ll be once we get you to the nymphs.”
“The what?”
“Oh you’ll see.” Ferron said.
“So am I not returning to my battalion?”
“We told you, Tayben. In a day or two they will file you as dead. You are dead to the rest of the world. You are a ghost . . . a phantom . . . well not yet.”
“Why are we traveling up into the canopy.” Tayben’s foot slipped on a wet patch of moss, but he caught himself.
Thephern glanced up at the leaves above the Phantoms. “The canopy’s the fastest way to travel when you’re like us.”
“Like you?”
Thephern stopped and chuckled. He looked out into the fog and jumped off of the tree into the air, and plunged into the mist below.
“Sir Luck!” Tayben yelled as Thephern’s body fell and disappeared. He heard laughter behind him and saw Ferron shaking his head and smiling.
“Thephern’s just showing off,” said Ferron “don’t worry.”
“What do you mean, don’t worry?” said Tayben.
“Tayben, remember when you tried chasing us through this forest? We probably seemed to disappear and shoot around from tree to tree. You weren’t hallucinating.” Ferron laughed. “You have no idea what’s possible . . . but soon you’ll know.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain.” said Thephern. Tayben startled when he realized Thephern Luck was standing right where he had jumped off.
Thephern answered Tayben’s unspoken question of: How? “I spotted a vine, jumped, swung around the tree on it, jumped onto a branch, and climbed back up. Tayben, we are Phantoms because, well . . . we can control, what you would call “magic” inside of our bodies, an enhancement of normal capabilities.” His voice was warm but sounded dangerous. “Our eyes penetrate both fog and the night. Our legs allow us to jump ten feet in the air and run twice as fast as a horse. Our arms can outmaneuver any swordfighter we come across.”
“You are telling me you’re superhuman?” Tayben raised and eyebrow.
“I’m telling you we are Xandria’s best soldiers, exceeding the natural physical capabilities of any other. We are, in a sense, superhuman.” said Thephern. They stepped from one giant tree branch to another, hundreds of feet above the forest floor. “General Lekshane takes his orders from her. She formed us to help set things straight after Gallegore died and Tronum Wenderdehl betrayed the Empire. The only original Phantom here is Lekshane, the rest are dead.”
“What is going on, and where are we going?”
Thephern sighed. “Who do you think rules this forest?”
“. . . Mankind . . . No one then?”
Thephern followed the Phantoms in front of him and stepped over a branch, followed by Tayben and Ferron. Ferron chuckled. “I take it you don’t believe much in fairytales.”
Tayben shook his head.
“Do you believe in nymphs?”
“Don’t tell me that you get your ‘magic’ from fairies.”
Thephern spun around and slapped him across the face, causing Tayben to stumble back in shock. “Mr. Shae, I think you forget that I am your company leader. You will not be so arrogant in a few hours. The nymphs you hear in stories are nothing like these.”
“You’ve seen a nymph?”
“Yes. But these . . . these are beings of perfection. They rule over this forest, but you do not see them. The nymphs of Endlebarr are the most powerful beings in the world, Mr. Shae, and they could kill all sixteen of us in a blink; we could do nothing to stop them. However, their being and their energy is pure, and under no circumstances will they inflict harm upon any living thing. But King Tronum’s tyranny threatens the safety of Endlebarr; the nymphs needed something or someone to protect the forest . . . and the world. In exchange for the protection we can provide, the nymphs gave each of us just a fragment of their power, which allows us to control what we see as magic, inside of our bodies. Tayben, the Phantoms are the protectors of peace.”
The Phantoms stopped after a couple hours of winding through the canopy of the trees. “Here we are,” said General Lekshane. Tayben looked around at the forest, which looked exactly like the forest had for the past several hours. Maybe the trees had gotten wider, and the fog may have thickened; but the consuming dark of the forest still lingered. The General walked over to Tayben on the giant branch. “This is where you become one of us. I assume Thephern explained it to you. The nymphs will come. Do not speak to them, for they cannot speak. Do not run away from them. Simply relax your mind.”
“But sir,-”
“No time.” said General Lekshane. “The nymphs will transfer a piece of their power into your body. Do not panic once this happens; it may take you a while to adjust.”
“I’m sorry, I just don’t understand —”
“These creatures are infinitely more powerful than you. Respect them. We will leave you here for the time being. Don’t move until the nymphs arrive. You could say that this is your initi
ation; you are now under Sir Luck’s command who, in turn, is under mine.” The bearded general then stepped around Tayben, followed by every other Phantom. Gallien patted Tayben’s shoulder as he passed. The black-cloaked soldiers descended two hundred feet down and disappeared into the fog below, while Tayben stood silently on a mossy branch. His body warmed to normal temperature as the Phantoms left. He was very hungry and could not figure out what time it was. I left the battalion in mid afternoon, I probably wandered in the forest for six or seven hours. Then I tried to kill a deer and fell asleep . . . Wait . . . no I just fell asleep.
A light appeared far away. A dim, white light in the foggy forest. To his right, another light appeared; to his left, another. The glowing lights slowly moved toward him. He obeyed his orders not to move or speak. As the lights approached, Tayben discerned figures in the fog — not separate from the light; the light made the figures, and the figures created the light. Slowly, the three nymphs became more defined, with an energy that flowed over their bodies in an ever-changing manner. The three nymphs walked on branches that converged where Tayben stood, but their feet never touched the ground and seemed to walk on an invisible barrier. Tayben looked down, and saw dozens of lights approaching from in the fog. When the lights were close enough, he could see the glowing nymphs walking on air, like they were climbing an invisible staircase. The forest was silent . . . completely and utterly still, save for Tayben’s rising and falling chest. Lights began to descend from above him — more nymphs emerging from the leaves above him. They filled the forest like stars, and the reflection off of Tayben’s eyes glistened in the otherwise darkened canopy.
As the brightness in the mist increased, Tayben began to hear an enchanting shimmering sound, like thousands of tiny chimes. The sound filled the roots of the trees and its branches and seeped into Tayben’s body. A feeling overwhelmed all of his senses. It was sweet, like the pastries in the old bakery just two doors down from his father’s blacksmith shop. It was vibrant like the colors in his mother’s clothes. It was strong, just like the roots of the massive tree he stood in. It was powerful, like the fire in which he used to thrust metal ready to be hit and shaped into a sword. It caused him to turn and look into the eyes of the nymph standing before him; deep, endless eyes in which his mind lost its way and found it again a thousand times over. The shimmering sounded like millions of stars peeped in and out of existence all around him. They radiated pure ribbons of light that circled around Tayben. His heart began to pound. The forest was silent, but in his mind, it was singing; and it sang to his heart louder than the roar of a thundercrack.
Dozens of nymphs now circled him, some standing on air just an inch above the branches, and some hovering in the mist beyond the tree. Around the nymphs fluttered glowing butterflies. Filled with an overpowering sense of awe, Tayben fell to his knees before the human-like creatures. The nymph reached out a hand and slowly placed it under Tayben’s chin. When it made contact with his flesh, he took a sharp breath in, but then immediately relaxed. The hand felt warm against him; an energy flowed through it. The song winding silently through the forest told him to rise; he did so, standing before the nymph, which was only slightly taller than him. The forest around him was filled with a light that moved around him in streams like waterfalls without gravity. He looked once more into the nymphs eyes — bottomless, shimmering pools of power and purity. Lost in awe, his mind went blank, and the song took control of his body. The nymph turned Tayben’s head toward the empty fog and let its hand fall to its side. The song swirled inside Tayben’s brain and urged him to step forward, off of the tree branch. He closed his eyes and stepped off the branch.
His foot felt like it stepped on a soft, mossy hillside. He took another step, and another, his feet climbing up through the air, like on an invisible staircase. He opened his eyes and saw mist below his feet, and nothing else. His body slowly turned on its back, suspended hundreds of feet above the forest floor by millions of beads of light coming from the bodies of the nymphs, who gathered in a sphere around him. A wind swirled around his body and cloak. Droplets of light swirled around his head before entering his chest. An energy began to grow inside of him. All he could hear was the shimmering, all he could see was light, and all he could feel was an unfathomable energy blossoming throughout his being. He could see himself in his entirety: his arrogance, his love, his hatred. The song and light and energy flowed through his body like a flood. Tears began streaming out of Tayben’s glistening eyes; they dripped down his face and fell into nothingness. The beads of light formed a shell around his figure and drew closer and closer to his body until he could no longer see his own nose, only light. He could feel a new power in his bones, his ears, his legs, his arms, his eyes, his mind. He sobbed with an overwhelming joy as the case of light around his body exploded and sprinkled the canopy with a galaxy of shimmering specks. His floating body descended back down to the tree branch.
As he lay still on the branch, staring straight up at the leaves above him, the nymphs still circled him and cast a blinding light throughout the forest. A nymph bent over Tayben’s body, and lay its lips of light on his forehead. The song flowed from Tayben, back into the nymph. And just as they came, the figures of light walked out into the air and vanished.
Tayben’s body lay there on the mossy branch in the darkness, tears still streaming down his face; for he felt unlike he ever had before. After several minutes, he stood up and noticed a new found strength in his muscles. He felt as if he could lift a house, and sprint faster than a hawk flies; he no longer hungered and no longer sought rest. He gazed out into the fog . . . which wasn’t there . . . no, it was still there; Tayben’s eyes penetrated the dense fog like it was a clear, sunny day. The sky far above him spread a deep orange light over the world. He peered into the forest and located a leaf one hundred yards away, on which he could count the individual droplets of dew. He listened. He listened closely. What used to be a silent forest now rang like trumpets in his ears: the scratching of animals hundreds of feet below, the drip of water off of ferns, the faint chirps of birds a mile away in the dark forest.
He heard a voice behind him. “Are you feeling alright, Tayben?” said Thephern.
Tayben turned back at Gallien’s grinning face. “Did this happen to you?”
Thephern nodded.
Tayben examined his hands and arms. “I feel limitless.”
“You should.” said Thephern.
“What do you mean?”
“Your powers help you only to the extent that the nymphs want. If you stop believing in your cause, their magic in you will fade.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve seen it happen.” said Thephern.
Gallien put a hand on Tayben’s shoulder. “Go on . . . see what you can do.”
Tayben looked at his body. Eyeing a branch to his left, Tayben carefully pushed off with his legs, but the amount of power in them sent him flying ten feet beyond it. As just a blur of black in the air, he quickly grabbed onto a branch above him and swung up. Tayben sprinted on the branch and rocketed off, catching a vine. He climbed it as fast as he could normally run. He felt alive.
Behind him, he could hear Gallien following him, laughing and cheering. Tayben raced up to the top of the tree and gazed out into the bright orange sky, where the wind blew through his hair and over his smiling face.
Gallien emerged from the tree and pulled himself up onto a branch next to Tayben. Gallien watched as Tayben’s smile slowly faded. “Tayben?”
Tayben turned toward Gallien, sensing that Gallien knew what he was thinking about.
“Tayben, I —” Gallien tried to smile. “I know how hard it’s going to be. Letting go of family and . . . everything.” He looked toward the sunrise. “Hell, the only family I had left was you. So I’m glad you're back.”
Tayben nodded. “I should have known you wouldn’t abandon me after a year of fighting together.”
Gallien smiled and looked out into the eastern sky.
“It’s going to be a wild ride.” After a minute or two, the golden sun peeked over the horizon, and his mind was transported in a flash of light.
Olindeux
Chapter Ten
~Morning, September 6th
A mound of coins sat on the shelf next to Kyan’s pile of blankets where he slept. Beams of light shone through holes in his attic, reflecting off of stolen ornaments and argentums. It finally began making sense to him after days of piecing together memories. Although he tried to find every other possible explanation, only one remained, one that made him think he was going insane: that his mind inhabited four bodies. Each day at sunrise, his consciousness travelled into another body. At the next sunrise, he would travel back in time to the day before to live as another one of these four persons.
Today was the 6th of September, and he had already lived it once as Calleneck. The sun had risen today — the morning of the 6th, and he awoke staring at the ceiling of the shack. Once the sun rose on the 7th, he would essentially jump back to the sunrise of the 6th and live the day again as either Tayben or Eston; but there was no way to know which. But that means that right now, I know what will happen later tonight to my body of Calleneck — I’ll eat baked bread and soup for dinner with the family; and right now, I’m doing things as Eston and Tayben, I just don’t know what I’m doing . . . what would happen if I saw myself? I could either see my past or my future.
As Eston and Calleneck and Tayben, he would despise his thief life. In his other bodies, he knew stealing was immoral; but as soon as he awoke in the body of Kyan, his mind changed. I have a right to do this. I take from the world what it has taken from me. The coins on the shelf had mostly remained untouched for months, for Kyan had no need to spend them when he could steal his meals and clothes. But without thinking about what he was doing, the day before he had bought a loaf of bread.
