by M J Webb
“Good, we are in time. Caro, tell our captains to organise the defence and set the perimeter. They are to send warriors to all four sides of this square in equal numbers. We have to hold out here and allow as many of our forces to join us as we can. This is it, Caro, there is nowhere to go from here except for the afterlife. Fight or die, those are our only choices now.”
The Perosyan champion clicked his heels as he snapped smartly to attention. “Yes, your majesty, I will see to it. I will return to you if I can,” he replied.
Princess Zephany placed a gentle hand upon his shoulder. “I know you will, my friend. I have been fortunate to know such loyalty in many of my warriors, but you humble me more than most. I saw the same kind of devotion from Knesh Corian and the way in which he served my father for many years. Now that it is directed towards me, I cannot tell you what it means.”
* * *
Inside the small, abandoned dwelling Tien placed the box of stones carefully down on the floor. From the bag, he retrieved each of the new replacement stones and laid them on the ground next to the box, in the order they would be needed. “Srr… Does anyone have a dagger, or a throwing knife?” he asked. Jean, Harry and Graham looked at one another but nobody had anything that would suffice. “…No matter, I will use my sword. Though, it will be awkward.”
Tien drew it and with some difficulty he used the tip of the blade to prize the first stone loose. “There, that’s it. Let us try to mend that which is broken, to replace these gems and rebuild the shattered hopes of our people.”
“Is that all, Tien? You just have to take them out and put the new ones in their place?” asked Harry, surprised.
“No, of course not. That would be far too easy. You would hardly need a wizard if it were, would you? Watch, Keeper, and all will become clear. First, the Bloodstone, made of creine,” Tien stated, holding the new stone up for all to see. He placed it in the vacant space left by the jewel he had removed. It locked itself effortlessly into position, despite seemingly floating in mid air, with absolutely nothing to hold it. “…As we begin the restoration of the stones and the Heynai’s box, we remember the sacrifice of Lord Bierenstell at Ilin-Seatt.”
Tien then prized loose the second gem and replaced it with the new stone. “Next… The Eye of Toganoll. Mynaen ore, won through tests of courage and wisdom, by the Keeper himself in the forest of Readal. Given freely by Brraall and his tribe to the Keeper destined to hold it, the one spoken of in legend, so that good may triumph over evil.”
The third of the five stones did not come out so easily and Tien had to apply a lot more pressure with his sword. Eventually, it flew across the room as the force asserted suddenly made it leap out of the box. Harry went to fetch it, but the wizard stopped him before he had taken a step. “No! Leave it. That stone is nothing now but rock and dust. This is the one we need,” he said, holding up the new replacement. “…That which was taken from the Thargw Emperor himself, at the city of Kerralux.”
“Oh my…! I never realised. I never fully understood until now, until right this second, what he has done, what he’s had to do. What you went through, dad,” stated Graham, all of a sudden.
Harry and Jean took hold of a hand each as they tried to comfort the son who, for varying reasons, they realised they hardly knew. Graham felt his emotions getting the better of him and a lump developed in his throat, as he was suddenly overcome by very strong feelings of regret and sorrow. “All those lost years. What a waste,” he said, as he squeezed their hands gently. “I’m sorry, dad. I’m sorry for everything I put you through. I blamed you for it all, for everything, didn’t I? I never knew you see; why you weren’t there for me, either of you. But, I do now. I know I’ve said it all before, but I really need you both to know how I feel. I need to know that you forgive me? I have to tell you how much I regret what happened to us.”
“It’s okay, son, you were not to blame. You were the innocent victim in all of this, we know that. This whole thing was bigger than any of us. We all did what we had to do to survive. We did what was required to get through it,” replied Harry, smiling warmly.
“Yes, Graham, listen to your father, please? We are together now and that is all that counts, thanks to Jake,” said Jean. “Somehow, between the three of us, we managed to produce a remarkable young boy. He is…”
“A Keeper?” suggested Harry.
Jean nodded and they all laughed a little as they turned their attention back towards Tien, who was clearly impatient to proceed. “Yes, thank you. Time is running out. Now for the difficult part.”
The reolite pendant lay next to the dragon’s sphere. Tien removed the old stone from the box with some difficulty and held it out in front of him. “Stand back, please. All of you. There may be some sparks.”
The others did as they were told, retreating to the open doorway, where they stood and watched as the wizard went to work.
“Rebbrell euth hineax treoll,
Verrestte prolluum neothe,
Endulae weotte neesche!”
The Lichtus in his hands suddenly began to glow, but the light being emitted was far too dim, and Tien was obviously extremely concerned. Then, without warning, the stone jumped from his hands and flew across the room, halting in mid air about one foot from the startled Harry and Graham.
The old wizard realised immediately what was happening. He smiled a little with extreme relief. “Quickly! We still have a chance for this to work! The power of that stone is fading, but it has been drawn to you both. The mystery, the reason for your appearance on Rhuaddan, has been answered. You were both meant to be here. You were brought to this land for this very moment. It is seeking more energy, it needs the power of the Keepers. Without you, the box cannot be fully restored. Come over here, next to me. If I am right, the stone will follow.”
Harry and Graham let go of Jean’s hand and walked slowly over to Tien. As soon as they were by his side and the stone had stopped moving, the wizard began to chant again.
“Heynai greesht uthreall,
Nexoll praeet vixienne,
Alltol keprarr!”
The reolite stone suddenly burst into life to emit a very bright, white light. A radiant beam then shot out of it, causing Jean to shield her eyes, even though the others seemed strangely immune to its effects. The light raced from the pendant straight up to Graham and Harry’s eyes and then joined to form a perfect triangle. Tien reached forward without delay and threw the dragon’s sphere into the centre. As it crossed the ray of light, three further beams immediately appeared, firing out of the Lichtus swiftly to fix the sphere firmly in the heart of the triangle. It remained there motionless, suspended in mid air at eye level. Jean could hardly see now, but her heart was racing as Tien cast one last spell.
“Trendiogh kuell weppronn leeast!”
The three beams of light which held the dragon’s sphere in place shifted. They moved along the orb to converge on one central point, whilst somehow continuing to keep it aloft. A faint humming noise began and the lights started to cut into the solid stone. Slowly, gradually, they carved out a smaller gem, one which would fit perfectly into the box. Sparks began flying off in all directions, covering Harry and Graham and burning their skin. The heat caused by the friction became intense, and the two Keepers began to feel the effects. They were soon in agony. They both felt as though their skin was on fire, though one frantic and incredibly relieved look down, told Graham immediately that it was not. Miraculously there were no blisters, no burns, not even a redness of the skin. Still, the pain was unbearable.
“Aaargh! Dad, I can’t take much more of this!” yelled Graham.
Jean’s hand shot up to her mouth and tears filled her eyes. She was horrified as she watched their suffering, afraid that she might lose them both and able to do absolutely nothing to help. She could barely watch, but she knew instinctively that it had to be done, that they had to hold out. “No! You can do it, son. Trust me,” she screamed out, “my beautiful, precious boy.”
&
nbsp; “She’s right, Graham. Listen to her,” said Harry, through clenched teeth. His face was contorted now as he tried hard to block out the intense pain. “Think of Jake. Think of all he has gone through to get us here. You are stronger than you can ever imagine.”
Graham suddenly called upon reserves of strength he never knew he had. For the mild mannered businessman and father, it was a very real and shocking revelation. More than that perhaps, it was also an awful, terrible realisation. He knew in that single moment that he was part of this dynasty, one of the chosen few, a Keeper, able to do anything if he put his mind to it. Graham West was a peaceful man by nature. He was perfectly happy with his lot in life and more than content to remain in the background, where he had always wanted to be. But, he knew immediately somehow, that this event could have drastic consequences for him and his future, for the ones he loved. He knew that his life had just been changed forever. He was no longer on the sidelines rooting for his son, he was at the very heart of what was happening.
He clenched his fists as he reluctantly accepted that fact, thought of his boy, and screwed up his face. “Okay dad, let’s do this. For Jake!”
Minutes later, the agony was over. The cutting was complete and the new stone fell from the sphere to land on the ground at Harry’s feet. The beams of light retracted immediately, vanishing into the pendant as if they had never existed. At the same time, the remainder of the dragon’s sphere fell and crashed to the ground. Ignoring the replacement stone completely, Harry immediately rushed to his son. “Graham, are you alright?” he asked, his voice full of concern.
Graham took a moment or two to collect himself, before replying in a slightly nervous, shaky voice. “Yes, I think so, dad. I don’t ever want to have to go through that again though! I’m sorry, I know the decision may not be mine to make, when and if the time comes, but I’m no Keeper! I don’t want to let you down but it’s not in me to do the things you’ve done, the things you’ve both done. I’m caught up in all of this now I guess, but truthfully, I want no part of it.”
Harry hugged him as best he could. Jake’s grandfather and former guardian of the stones was barely able to control his emotions. “That’s alright, my boy, that’s okay. I never asked you to be a Keeper. I tried my hardest to spare you from all of this, for I know what it entails. I love you just the way you are, and I always will. You have to know it, and believe me when I say that… I promise you here and now, if there’s a way, we will keep you out of it. Okay?”
Graham nodded gratefully before turning back to Tien. The wizard had retrieved the new stone he had cut and placed it into the box. He was just about to place the Lichtus stone in position also, when Jean interrupted his concentration with an unexpected question.
“Wasn’t… Wasn’t that hot?” she asked, pointing at the stone cut from the dragon’s sphere.
Tien shook his head. “No, it was as cold as the snow on my mountain. Now, without further delay, time for the final piece of the puzzle. Behold, a reolite stone. This one is known as the Lichtus. It was taken from a tyrant, freed by a slave and a King, and it has been sought for a thousand years by an entire population.”
He placed the Lichtus gently into position and stepped backwards. For a while nothing happened, and Harry and the others began to grow more than a little concerned. They looked at each other and then at Tien. The wizard remained expressionless as he watched the box intently. Then, all of a sudden, the reolite stone shone brightly. It lifted upwards to reach its highest point and each of the four corner gems burst into life.
“Close the box!” Tien instructed Harry. “It is ready!”
Chapter 23
3rd September - The City of Te’oull - Siatol
Jake West was sweating profusely, his clothes were wet through and he was breathing so deep, fast and hard that it was really beginning to hurt. He was spattered with the blood of the warriors he had killed and he looked as though he had been dragged through the fires of zsorcraum and back again… Twice! His eyes were glazed over and he had a look of ferocious determination on his face. It seemed as though nothing could break his concentration and resolve, as he looked directly at Sawdon without any trace at all of fear. The giant Thargw towered above him, his blood-soaked fur barely managing to hide the hugely impressive array of perfectly formed muscles that lay underneath. At first glance to all around and any onlooker unaware of Jake’s powers, this was a fight that could only go one way. It was a foregone conclusion, an appalling mismatch, the prelude to slaughter.
But, nothing and no one else mattered now to Jake. Caught up completely in the moment, he could not think of anything but the Thargw warrior he faced, not his friends or his family, not his life back home, not even the people of Estia he had sworn to protect. His mind was utterly consumed by this moment and this moment alone. He was like a totally different person all of a sudden, consumed by a need for vengeance, and he no longer cared if he lived or died, just so long as he took Sawdon with him if he fell. ‘This is what it has all been leading up to. Everything I have done so far has brought me to this, a fight to the death with Sawdon. This is perhaps my one and only chance to take revenge for everything he has done to my family,’ he thought, his blind wrath making him forget all about King Vantrax and the stones for a time, and the battle for Te’oull which would decide their fate.
Up until now, Jake West had behaved and acted impeccably as a Keeper, surprising and delighting many around him with his unexpected maturity. But, this time, his feelings had the better of him and his heart was now ruling his head. He had acted on his own initiative and on a rash impulse when he rushed into a fight with Sawdon. It was an encounter with the savage beast he had no way of knowing he could win. The small, impetuous part of him that just refused to die, that which was still the teenager from back home, had surfaced just when he needed it least. He needed to remain calm and composed, to think and act like the guardian and saviour of worlds, to do what was best for the Estian people, even if it wasn’t what was best for him. And that probably meant avoiding an impossible fight with an invincible Thargw, restoring the box of stones as quickly as he could. Any yet, here he was placing himself seriously in harm’s way, jeopardising everything he hoped to achieve, the future of countless worlds, just to indulge his own petty craving for revenge.
The battle raged on around them but Sawdon and Jake concentrated solely on each other. The Thargw Gerada was an intelligent beast and he knew that this was no ordinary Keeper before him. Despite his youth, the youngster had somehow managed to evade capture in a hostile world and made the necessary alliances to further his cause. With astonishing bravery and audacity he had raided King Vantrax’ mines, and in the process rallied an entire continent to stand beside him. That was the work of no ordinary enemy as far as Sawdon was concerned. The ‘boy’ he now faced had led the whole of Estia into a war the likes of which had never been seen before. Sawdon knew little of the prophecies which told of a Keeper’s coming, but he knew enough about them to recognize that if the Estian’s truly believed he was the saviour of their world, then the defeat of this young boy in this fight, would destroy all of their hopes and aspirations and signify the end of the rebellion. By ensuring Jake’s death in this battle, Sawdon knew he would also be killing a legend, a fairytale used to inspire a revolution. In doing so, he would bring the whole Estian resistance to his master’s rule to an abrupt end.
“Raar… I should have taken your life when I had the chance, in the home of the last Keeper,” growled the Thargw, as he flexed his muscles and prepared to fight.
Jake paced sideways, seeking a better angle of attack. Sawdon matched his every move, as Jake replied. “Yes, you should have. Maybe if you had, you would have prevented all of this from happening?”
“This? The battle? This is nothing! Once we have destroyed your army here, we will go on to conquer the rest of this land as far as the sea. It will all be ours. And then, who knows? We may decide to return to your world and see what riches await us there? Y
ou have proved one thing only by coming here; that your race is a weak and feeble one, incapable of combat, and ripe for the taking. There are bound to be more reolite stones somewhere on Estia, even if that box of yours is not found, or if it is destroyed somehow. We will find the means to go there if we wish, you may depend on that. Now, enough talk, where is the box? You are about to die so you might as well tell me? What have you done with the stones?”
“Huh! I think that’s talk, isn’t it? And wouldn’t you like to know… It’s safe, and it’s hidden, as far away from your claws as it can be. And you should know better than to underestimate an enemy, even one as ‘feeble’ as me. Though, I’m not a patch on some of the guys from my world. Plus, we have weapons far more powerful than anything you can ever imagine. So, if you think you’re hard enough, you’re welcome to try!”
“Really?” said Sawdon, surprised by Jake’s claim. “…More powerful than a wizard? Or an army of warriors who cannot be killed? I do not think so. Unless of course you have reolite on your world? If the box is as powerful as they say and we obtain it, we will be able to send thousands through the light. Nothing will stop us!”
