Everflame: The Complete Series

by Dylan Lee Peters

  “What about the prophecy?” asked Evercloud. “The Sun and the Moon? The unlikely pair?”

  “You and Densa,” finished Amber. “One made of only the Sun and one made only of the Moon.”

  The memories of Esteban Floyd, leaving him in the forests around Gray Mountain, burst into Evercloud’s mind. He remembered the rope, the boar’s blood, and the wolves. He could remember Esteban telling him he would be safe, telling him nothing would harm him, and then, leaving him alone, leaving him with no history. His memory then flashed to the way Captain Nesbitt used to look at him. He remembered how the old dog had been sure that Evercloud was Densa, because of his eyes. Evercloud’s eyes, eyes that were not human eyes. The dog had known what he was, not completely, but he knew. Evercloud remembered Saquu advising him not to search for his origin, advising him that some things were better left alone. Evercloud remembered the Farsider who called him father. Had even that creature known that Evercloud was not just a man?

  Suddenly, something bumped Evercloud’s leg and he looked down to find Annie convulsing at his feet.

  “Annie!” he screamed, and dropped down to her side. Evercloud cradled her head in his arms. “Wake up. Please, wake up.”

  Annie’s eyes shot wide and she gasped for air. Evercloud propped the woman into a sitting position.

  “The mountain,” said Annie in a panic. “The mountain will be destroyed. Iolana can’t save it.”

  Evercloud looked into Annie’s eyes and could see the terror building within her.

  “We have to leave,” he said, turning to Amber.

  “I’m sorry, you cannot. Not yet.”

  “What?” exclaimed Evercloud. “We have to!” Evercloud jumped to his feet and began to run away from the spirit, quickly finding that he was penned in by an invisible wall. “Let us go!! We have to save the mountain!! I have to save the mountain!”

  “I’m sorry, Evercloud, but the test must be passed before you can go.”

  “Then give it to me, damn you!! Give me the test!!!”

  “I can’t…”

  “GIVE ME THE TEST!!!”

  “You are but the one who is to deliver the feather when the last test has been passed. I’m sorry, Evercloud. This is not your test to pass…”

  Chapter 41: Beyond Reason

  Densa stared at Iolana and shrunk inside. He had not known how he would feel after seeing the woman again, but as he stood there and watched Iolana’s soft mouth, hanging wide in the grips of shock, he ached. It was as if someone had opened a sore upon his heart. He felt weaker, and though he could not explain it, he felt shame.

  “Tenturo is dead,” said Densa, not knowing how to react to his emotions.

  “Wha–,” breathed Iolana, her shock at the situation heightening. She could not even force a full word out, and now, her vacant expression grew pained with the realization of loss.

  “It was the Tyrant. I tried to stop him… I failed…”

  Tears welled in Iolana’s blue eyes and traced their way down her ivory cheeks like condensation upon the skin of a peach. A tremor shook within her chest and a sob breached her attempt at strength.

  “Is this to be our end? Has he really won?”

  “No,” uttered Densa as his own jaw trembled with anger and pain. “I won’t let him win.”

  “Is this why you’ve returned?” asked Iolana with a sniffle. “Vengeance?”

  Densa turned briefly from Iolana’s gaze as if he were afraid she could see into his very soul. “Yes…” he said. “I don’t know.”

  “What don’t you know? What are you not telling me?”

  Densa looked at Iolana; he stared into her eyes. He knew deep inside of himself why he had really returned. He knew it was not in the name of vengeance, or atonement, or any other fleeting ideal that people cling to when they search their hearts for answers. Densa had returned because of Iolana.

  “I have learned much about myself, Iolana. I have learned my history, I have learned of my curse and I have learned of my power. I have come to help… I don’t know why… I suppose to defeat the Tyrant. No… I am here because I am sorry… I am not proud of who I am.”

  “We have all made mistakes,” said Iolana.

  “No… Not like mine. I am responsible for so much pain and destruction. I created those terrible creatures–”

  “Because of me,” interrupted Iolana. “Because I mistreated your love.”

  Iolana’s words cut through Densa and he grimaced as he heard her say them.

  “I had no right–”

  “You are not the only one who has remembered their own history, Densa. I have searched my own as well. I knew. I knew very long ago. I knew when you entertained my dream of being human, I knew when you built a kingdom to support that dream. I knew, even as I ignored your love to pursue a human love in Charles. I knew you loved me… even as you held me while I cried in the ruins of that burned village, terrified of what I was… I knew.”

  “Why do you say this to me?” said Densa, doing all he could to avert his eyes from Iolana. She had stripped him down and left him exposed.

  “Do you love me now?” asked Iolana.

  “Why are you–”

  “Do you love me, Densa?”

  “Why are you doing this to me?” said Densa, raising his voice. “Do you think I am a fool? I have learned the history of this world. I know how the story is written. Do you not know what he is? I don’t need to be told to recognize it.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Evercloud,” spat Densa. “It is the Sun and the Earth that are drawn together, Iolana. I know how this ends. I am but the Moon… Do not tell me that you and he are not in each other’s hearts. I am not a fool.”

  “You are a fool,” said Iolana, her own voice now rising. “You are a fool if you pretend to know the future, and you are a fool to think you know my heart. Do you love me? It’s a simple question. Tell me the truth.”

  “Why!?” bellowed Densa. “For what purpose? Do you wish to torture me? Is this my penance? Must you have the very heart of me, so that it may be exposed and dragged upon the dusty earth?” Tears formed in Densa’s eyes and he was no longer able to master himself. “I have within me a curse, Iolana. I have learned of it and it is called hope, and this hope yearns for what it can never have. It is my burden! You wish to see it laid out in front of you?... Fine… you shall have it. You ask me if I love you, no. Love is a word and a definition and a thing that has been given limits. What I feel because of you is all; it is everything. Reason has no place within my heart because my heart is full of you. You are my motivation, my faith, the blood that lives within me. Everything I am is for you and you alone… I know my desire is futile, and I do not care. I will walk this world alone for the whole of time and I will carry this in me forever… and every step taken… will be for you. There is no other way for me.”

  With tears falling from her eyes, Iolana rushed forward and kissed Densa as hard as she could. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, and as they did, his defenses fell and he returned her kiss. He surrendered to her, and for the first time in his life, his heart knew a pain that was joy.

  “I love you, Densa. I always have. I was just afraid and foolish and confused. I’m sorry.”

  Iolana looked up through the forest canopy and into the sky. She searched for the sun and realized that it was beginning to set along the horizon.

  “What are you looking for?” asked Densa.

  “I dreamed of this,” said Iolana. “I’ve been dreaming of this, but it never ends well. In my dream, the sun collides with the moon and everything is destroyed.”

  “It’s just a dream, Iolana. Here, I’ll prove it to you.” Densa grabbed hold of Iolana and lifted her into the air. The two ancient beings flew high, through the trees and into the sky, never stopping and never looking back. Densa propelled he and Iolana up into the atmosphere of the earth, and then, into the cold, black void of space. He held her tight to share their warmth. Her hair tickled his
chin and he allowed himself to enjoy the sensation. “You see,” he said. “There is the sun, unmoving, unchanging, and over there is the moon. They are not colliding; the world is not in danger. Things are as they always have been.”

  Iolana spun in Densa’s arms, looking out at the celestial bodies of the outer world. She pulled his arms tighter around her and nuzzled her head against his arm. “No. Things are not as they always have been… they are better now.”

  Densa closed his eyes and hugged Iolana’s small frame closer to him, as if he could not be close enough to the woman. Yet, there was still something that refused to let his defenses crumble completely. There was still something that asked why Iolana would feel this way about him now, after so long.

  “What has changed in you, Iolana? What has made you decide to love me?”

  Iolana did not answer Densa’s question directly. She paused for a moment, and Densa knew she must have been thinking of how to answer the question. Her pause made him nervous, but he did not show his fear. After a moment, Iolana spun toward Densa and stared up into the man’s face.

  “For a very long time,” began Iolana. “I had thought that love was something fresh and new and exciting. I thought love was something mysterious that must be hunted down and discovered. Yet, time and time again, I found myself feeling hollow after I had ended the chase. I always found myself, ultimately, unsatisfied. It was not long ago that I realized that love is not an unknown adventure in a far-off land, love is a warm blanket waiting at home.”

  “I’m not sure I understand,” said Densa.

  “Densa, when I am with you, I know safety and security. I know comfort and familiarity. When I am with you, I know who I am and I know everything that you are, and I feel a serenity that is stripped from me when you are gone. When you are gone, I am uncertain. When you are gone, I am lonely and cold. When you are gone, I feel a need to pretend that I am strong and that nothing can harm me, and that I am all right, but I am not all right when you are gone. What I have learned is that love was not something I had to find. What I learned is that love was something I had all along. I learned that my heart knows where to find its home. You are my home, Densa. When I am with you, I am all I ever want to be. My heart is yours.”

  “And you have faith in the decisions of your heart?” asked Densa.

  “I do,” answered Iolana. “My heart is not something that is independent of myself. My heart is myself. When I say you are my heart’s home, Densa. I am saying that you are my home. I love you.”

  Densa lifted Iolana to his mouth and kissed her deeply. Iolana relished the kiss, but then, pulled away from the man.

  “What is wrong?” asked Densa.

  “I know faith is something that is hard for you,” said Iolana, turning her head slightly. “But I want you to know that I have faith in you.”

  Densa gently pulled Iolana’s chin back toward him so that she looked directly into his eyes. “The reason I returned to you is because the thing I have faith in, above any other in this entire world… is you.”

  Iolana kissed Densa again, all the more passionately. Warmth filled Densa in a way he had never felt before and it seemed as though he was filled with new life.

  Not so long ago, I wondered if you were changing me, he thought. I don’t need to wonder anymore.

  Chapter 42: Dust

  The skies above Gray Mountain darkened, and one single thundering boom sounded and rolled over the land. As it subsided, the world was still, silent and calm. A small chipmunk looked up from the forest floor and into the sky, through the trees, as small droplets of rain began to fall and make pit-pat noises as they landed. Lightning streaked, without sound, across the sky. The small animal cowered underneath the bright light, and then, scurried away to the comforts of some secret shelter. The rain fell steadily, the skies darkened further, and then, it began.

  A low rumbling came across the earth, causing leaves upon the trees to fall. Birds flew into the skies and the winds picked up, causing every creature that remained in the forest to retreat to their homes. The rumbling grew, and soon, the black creatures whose feet pounded the ground like hammers upon a thousand wooden boards came forward like a wave of sickness. Their foul stench filled the air, and the guttural cries that came from the hollows of their throats echoed around the mountain like a nightmare. They had come because he had called them; they had come to see the end.

  Rain poured from the sky in sheets and lightning struck all around. The world was dark and the Farsiders roared, and then, he came down from above like a spider on a thread. The Great Tyrant had come. He revealed himself, moving out of the clouds with his massive sword held to the sky, cackling in the rain and wind. The sword was bright with energy and the electric light grew in size, absorbing all the hundreds of lightning bolts that circled the mountain like a swarm of hornets.

  The Great Tyrant scowled as he looked down upon Gray Mountain. Then, he pointed the tip of his menacing blade downward, and uttered an oath of hate. He unleashed his energy upon the mountain and its rock began to break apart. Roars and screams of both man and bear could be heard above the rain, wind and evil hum of the lightning, but it was too late. None would escape the Tyrant and his destruction. The Farsiders shrieked, and the hum of the energy grew and grew, until it seemed as if it were singing against the howl of the wind. Then, as if all sound were drained from the earth, the mountain exploded into millions of tiny pieces. The Tyrant disappeared into the sky, and a cloud of dust rolled over the forest like the wave of a tsunami. It coated and choked the land, like a blanket of death, sending creatures, great and small, running for their lives. Even the Farsiders left this place of death and destruction, fearing for their own safety.

  In one giant explosion, the mountain had fallen; the Kingdom of Bears was no more.

  Iolana and Densa reentered the atmosphere of the earth and floated down to the place they had last stood. They looked around in horror and confusion at the forest that was now nothing but broken trees, chunks of rock, and dust that obscured their vision.

  “What happened?” cried Iolana, bringing her hands to her mouth.

  “I don’t know,” said Densa, trying to look around, but seeing nothing other than gray air to hinder his view. “There is dust everywhere.”

  A small gust cut the air and moved some of the dust away from the Ancients’ view, just enough for them to see the edge of the land before it declined. They stepped cautiously to the edge of the crater that was now in front of them, and both Densa and Iolana’s eyes began to fill with pained tears as they realized what they were looking at.

  Where Gray Mountain had once stood, strong and proud, was now the jagged rock of a crater, slowly descending into the earth. Without words, Densa and Iolana stumbled down into the crater, kicking small rocks as they went. More dust kicked up and covered their legs and clothing. They walked on, unbelieving, to the bottom of the crater and looked at each other in shock. The clouds of dust had again moved around them, obscuring view and chilling them to the core. They stood, facing each other in pain, not knowing what to do… and then he returned.

  “NOOOO!” screamed Densa in horror as he looked over Iolana’s shoulder.

  Iolana spun as the Great Tyrant emerged, swiftly, from the white, rock dust, and before she could even blink her eyes, the tip of his white blade cut through her, and she fell to the dust below. The Tyrant cackled and disappeared again, into the sky, this time for good. Densa fell to his knees and scrabbled over to Iolana as she lay upon her back.

  “No, no, no” he mumbled incoherently, his jaw trembling. “You’ll be okay, you’ll be okay.”

  Iolana looked up into Densa’s eyes. “I gave it to you,” she said. “I give you… everything.”

  And with those last words, the Ancient known as Chera, the woman known as Iolana, passed from the earth, never to return. Densa fell to the ground where his love dissipated into the dusty air, leaving him forever, and screamed in never-ending pain.

  Chapter 43: War
Cry

  The world cares not for heroes. It will bend and break their will through the maddening chaos of its existence. It will drag their dreams across its sandy crust, crushing hope beneath the weight of its rocky bones. The world cares not for heroes, it destroys them.

  In the hollow of the massive crater laid a man who once aspired to heroism, a man who once allowed himself to dream. Among the dust, he shivered. The world had stripped him; reduced him. He was broken and he pawed at the dirt with his filthy hands, a man searching for something that no longer existed. His mouth hung wide in agony and he moaned like a wounded beast as his tears fell upon the parched earth.

  Densa rolled to his side, reduced and vulnerable, a singularity of ruin. His entire consciousness ached with the loss of the only thing that had mattered to him. In his mind, forever, was Iolana’s face. She had not been afraid as she lay in the dust; it had been he who was racked with fear, who scrambled in panic, as the only thing he cared about in his life fell slowly out of his grasp like sand. He remembered her eyes and their glassy, blue perfection. He searched within them for an answer, but there was none. His chest tightened as he cried and convulsed, amid the greatest pain he had ever known. The rocks cut his dusty skin, and he bled as he pounded his fists against the ground.

  “WHY!!!” he screamed into the air.

  The image of Iolana’s eyes called to him, but not for help, not for salvation. They called for something more, something more difficult to give than pity or empathy. Her eyes called for something painful, something that began to boil Densa’s blood as he lay destroyed at the bottom of what was once a kingdom. It was the call of Iolana’s eyes that gave every answer he ever needed; every reason there was to be had.

  Get up, thought Densa to himself in disgust. “Get up!” he spat at himself through clenched teeth. Get up.

  Densa pushed himself up from the dirt and rock, and slowly lifted himself to his knees. Get up, he thought, and remembered the small puppy named Blue that had given its life to defend him. Densa brought one knee off of the ground. Get up, he thought, as he remembered the woman, Rachael, who despite being misled and driven to madness, had loved Densa until her end. Densa rose to his feet. Get up, he thought, and remembered the griffin, Tenturo, who risked all he was to bring Densa back from his darkness. Densa began to walk out of the crater.