by Joseph Lallo
"Well. The falls are quiet today. For now, at least. Calypso indicated that they would give way sooner than expected. Perhaps by the end of the day. Nevertheless, that still leaves time for a shift or two at the fall's edge. It is quite peaceful there and you and I might--" he began. He was interrupted by a thunderous slam on the door.
"What was that?" she cried, startled.
"I seem to have a rather insistent visitor," he said.
A second crash nearly knocked the door from its hinges, and a third succeeded where the last had failed. Atop the fallen door stood a dizzied Myn. She had a desperate look, catching the edge of Myranda's tunic and pulling her forward.
"What is it? Calm down. What is it, little one?" she asked.
Myn looked desperately to the base of the temporarily quiet falls and back to Myranda.
"What about the falls? I don't . . . Lain. Lain went to the falls," she said.
She knew from the dragon's eyes that it was so. He had gone.
"Then we must follow," Myranda said, walking resolutely toward the falls.
"What!? No! You--you need to stay here! There are ceremonies, there are tests. You've so much more you can learn! You haven't even been inducted as a Full Master yet! Your Master crystal will not be forged for another month, at least!" Deacon said, rushing out the door behind her.
"I've learned enough. I need to see Lain," she said.
"The falls could start at any moment. You'll never make it! You don't have any supplies! You need to stay!" he pleaded.
"No!" she said, turning to him. "Lain has left this place to go back to killing. He has turned his back on his purpose. I will not rest until he faces it again!"
"Myranda, that is a job for fate, not for you," he reasoned desperately.
"What if fate means to do it through me? I have been thinking. That nonsense you said that Hollow had said about me. A label of white adorns that which will see each. I have seen the Swordsman," she began, holding up her white scar of the mark. "I have seen Lain. I have seen whatever being we summoned in the ceremony. What if it is my purpose to seek out the Chosen? A mark both fresh and faded belongs to the carpenter. What if carpenter is not meant to be taken literally? What if he meant that I was to be the one to join the members of the Chosen five together as a carpenter joins wood? Doesn't that explain why I have the mark? Doesn't that explain why magic comes so easily to me?"
"Perhaps, perhaps . . . But perhaps not! You are reaching, Myranda. You are twisting the words to fit your purpose," he said. "The prophecy is clear about mere mortals who try to help the Chosen. The trials that the divine ones must face would destroy anyone else. To offer aid where it is not needed is a death sentence!"
"Then so be it. If I must die so that the world may be spared of this war, let it be done," she said.
"No, Myranda, I--I . . . Five minutes more, I beg of you!" he said.
"I must--" Myranda tried to answer. Before she did, Deacon was gone. He disappeared inside his hut.
Myranda hurried along. She simply could not be delayed. A terrible din came from Deacon's hut. He sprinted out after her a minute later.
"Wait please!" he said, running in front of her. He carried a bag and an armload of books. The precious tomes spilled to the ground as he finally found the specific one he was looking for. He riffled through the pages and tore one out.
"Here! Take it! Have you the tooth still? Good. With this spell, and that tooth you can track him wherever he goes! And the bag! Take the bag! It contains some necessities, an old staff and crystal. Better than yours, but not nearly what you deserve. Oh, if only you would wait until the next time that the way opens. We could give you a crystal worthy of your skill," he said.
Myranda took the bag and the page, stuffing it inside. Tears were welling in her eyes. As they approached the base of the falls the mountain seemed to shudder. At any second, a column of water would come crashing down.
"Myranda. Take care. Please, come back to m--us," he said.
"I swear to you. If I can, I will," she assured him.
Myranda rushed to the edge of the waterfall basin. Those keeping watch claimed that neither they nor their predecessors had seen anyone enter the mouth of the cave, but considering the fact that Lain had managed to sneak out of his own hut without waking Myn, that meant little. The dragon leapt down into the basin, while Myranda lowered herself as gently as she could down inside. With much difficulty, she managed to reach the mouth of the cave. She fought the urge to have one final look at those she was leaving behind, for fear of changing her mind. Instead, she hurried as quickly as the slick floor of the cave would allow.
Ahead lay darkness, danger, risk, and war. All of this Myranda knew. But somewhere there were two creatures, two creatures she'd seen with her own eyes, which could change the world. The mountain groaned, filling the cave with echoes. At any moment, an icy wall of water could drop down, robbing her of the haven, the wonder, the paradise that was Entwell. Her every desire, save one, lie in that fair village. Her greatest desire, though, lay ahead.
Lain carried with him the shining gleam of hope for peace, and she would follow that dying light in the darkness to the ends of the world. Now she knew the truth. She would show Lain the error in his ways. Now she understood her purpose. She would find the other Chosen. Now she had the power. She would see the war brought to an end, or she would die trying. Around her the mountain gave a groaning roar. Squeezing her scarred left hand tightly, she climbed on, toward her destiny.
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Important though it is to tell the tale completely, the enormity of the task was not clear to me at the onset. Much as it pains me to leave you in the grip of so tense a moment, the hour is late and my hand grows unsteady. For now I must rest, and begin anew when I am able. I can only hope that the volume to follow finds its way to your eyes as well, as the tale is not half told, and I know all too well what incomplete knowledge can bring. Until then, let me leave you with an assurance. The tale does not end here. Indeed, this is merely the beginning.
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Thank you for reading this, the first in the Book of Deacon Trilogy. Below you can find links to other books I’ve written. If you enjoyed the book, please consider reading the others in the trilogy. Whether you liked my work or not, I would love to hear what you think, so please leave a review. It will help me to improve the things that you didn’t like, and to give you more of the things you did.
Discover other titles by Joseph R. Lallo at Smashwords.com:
The Book of Deacon Trilogy
Book 2: The Great Convergence - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35286
Book 3: The Battle of Verril - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45617
Other stories in the same setting:
Jade - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/25151
Science Fiction Titles:
Bypass Gemini - https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57468
Contact Information
Website: http://www.bookofdeacon.com.
Twitter: @jrlallo
Email: [email protected]
