by Matt Moss
“Lyla,” a familiar voice said.
Lyla turned and could hardly contain herself. “Torin!” she squealed and ran to hug him. “I thought you were dead! But obviously you’re not! How are you? Where have you been?”
Torin laughed and held her at arm’s length. “Easy, now. Don’t worry about it. How have you been? What are you doing way out here by yourself?”
“I’m training. Wait… how did you find me out here? Did you follow me?”
Torin looked down. “I did,” he said in an apologetic tone. “I followed you from the camp.”
She furrowed her brow. “Why didn’t you meet with me there? Does everyone else know you’re back?”
“Lyla, I didn’t want anyone to know, yet.” He looked away and quickly changed the subject. “So, you’ve been training, huh? With who?”
“Me,” Joko said, approaching with hands folded.
“And you are?” Torin said, squaring up to the young man.
“An apprentice of the light.”
Torin crossed his arms. “Apprentice to whom?”
“Moses,” Joko stated.
Torin cocked his head. “Well, I’ll be damned. Seems our paths continue to cross.”
“You know Moses?” Lyla asked.
“Aye. I know Moses. We go way back; before the origin of the Order.”
“You knew Moses when he was in Order?” Joko eagerly asked in his thick accent. “What was he like?”
“Different,” Torin replied. He looked at Lyla. “We can catch up when we’re on the road. Grab whatever you need for our trip. We’re going to find the Garden.”
“The Garden?” she said and tilted her head. “But, you’ve always thought that it doesn’t exist.”
“Sometimes, it’s better to hope than it is to think,” he noted with a shaky voice. “I choose to believe that it exists. It has to.”
“Why?” she asked. “Why do you believe in it now?”
He looked at her with glossy eyes. “Because it’s our only hope.”
“Moses spoke of this Garden before,” Joko noted. “The Garden of Stones. Much power is there. Much danger.”
Lyla turned to him. “Does he know where it is?”
“No,” Joko said. “Only said he hopes no one finds it.”
Lyla suddenly felt excited. She was about to begin the mission that she had started with Arkin. And Cain. She began to think of Cain but quickly tucked her thoughts away, fearing that he was dead. She shook the image from her head and crossed her arms. “Well, I for one hope that we do find it. I believe that we will find it.” She winked at Torin.
“Yes!” Torin cheered, low and rumbling with tightened fists. “We leave immediately, then.”
Lyla nodded, noticing a change in Torin that she couldn’t quite place. Something was different about him, but she didn’t care — she was happy he was here. She looked to Joko and noticed a shameful look of betrayal and confusion on his face. “What is it?” she asked.
“I have failed,” he stated and dropped his head.
She touched his arm. “What are you talking about?”
“I am to train you. But now I cannot because you are leaving, so I have failed.”
Her concerned look faded away, replaced by amusement. She couldn’t contain a giggle. He snapped his gaze up to meet hers, his eyes intense.
“Why you laugh?”
“Because you think I’m leaving you,” she said, smiling. “I’m not leaving you and I’m not going to stop training. You’re coming with us!”
A puzzled look appeared on his face. “Go with you. To find Garden.”
She nodded sharply with a grin.
He looked away. “Master would not want this. He will be upset.”
Torin clapped him on the shoulder. “He’ll get over it. It’s better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission.”
Joko looked at Torin then turned back to Lyla. “He told me to train you. If you go, then I will follow. I will train you.”
Lyla’s feet left the ground. She squealed and hugged his neck. Standing back, she looked at Torin for command. He nodded for her to take charge and lead the way. It was at that moment that she felt the sudden weight of the situation. She was to lead the expedition that would find the Garden of Stones. The world, and possibly the fate of everyone in it, depended on her. Not so long ago, she wanted to be a doctor. She marveled at the thought and how life can take sudden twists and turns that propel one down another path —a path one had never thought of. She pursed her lips and brushed the hair from her eyes.
“Let’s go,” she said.
TWENTY TWO
Ten hard days had passed since Arkin and Moses left the Crossing. They headed north, hardly speaking as they rode across the rugged terrain. For ten days, the most Arkin could pull from Moses was a seldom nod or a grunt. “Save it for when we get there”, the grandmaster said on occasion. Eventually, Arkin gave up.
Arkin made camp overnight and prepared the food over the campfire. Fortunately, the fish and game had been favorable upon their journey and didn’t require much effort to catch. But their good fortune ended when they reached the north. The countryside was buried in snow and left little to purchase for food or comfort. It was a three to four day ride past the Grand Highlands to the northeast, and it was the farthest north that Arkin had ever been.
The hard, mountainous land was merciless to any living thing. Even the trees dared not grow save for a desolate pine here or there. The cold, mixed with the constant blast of air, stung the face and burned the lungs. Arkin wondered what Moses was doing by bringing him to such a barren, miserable place.
“People live here,” Moses said as they trekked up a snow covered range, pointing to a series of caves in the mountain adjacent to them. “People grow here.”
Arkin couldn’t fathom it. How could anyone survive in a place like this. There was no food, no shelter, and no warmth. Even the sun barely shown in the gray-filled sky.
“We are returning to nature,” the old man said on more than one occasion.
Arkin didn’t get it. He understood nature. He knew how to hunt and how to fish. His father had taught him how to look at the stars and interpret their location in relationship to the world. He felt the pull of the moon on a hot summer night. He was part of nature. Why would he need to return to it?
They trudged on through the knee-deep snow. Arkin tucked his head and cursed as a snow drift filled his vision. It seemed the further they climbed, the worse the weather became.
“I’ve spent a lot of time up here, Arkin. It is merciless. When all is left and gone, it will become your teacher.”
Arkin shook his head, not understanding the words, and followed in the old man’s steps. His entire body was numb, despite the thick coat of furs. He swore that his nose and ears were frozen solid and would soon turn black. He once saw a man without a nose in the Crossing. Levi told him that the man lost it due to the cold, then told him to quit staring at the man because it was rude.
As they crested the peak, Arkin saw a valley nestled between the mountains. Steam rose from an array of hot springs, and green grass surrounded them. His spirit soared at the sight. Moses cautiously led them down the steep mountain and into the large valley below. At the base of the mountain, Arkin took note of a few fallen trees that could provide them with a fire for the night. They crossed a creek at the bottom and Arkin noticed the abundance of trout within. His mouth watered as he thought about the night’s meal over a campfire.
They stopped at one of the hot springs. “This will be your new home,” Moses said, dropping his pack to the ground. “This is where you will begin to understand everything around you and within you.”
Arkin dropped his pack. As usual, he nodded to the grandmaster. He had adjusted to the man’s craziness over the trip and decided to just go along with whatever he said. What did he have to lose?
Lyla.
At that moment, he realized that she was the only thing worth living for. He
thought that killing Victor was, but somewhere between time lost and the space in between, he realized that it wasn’t. There would always be evil. There would always be those to seek power and control.
In the end, love was all that mattered.
“Take off your clothes,” Moses said.
“What?” Arkin protested.
“Take off your clothes.”
Arkin gave him a puzzled look, like he was crazy. The old man was serious. Arkin began to strip his clothes in frustration. Bumps rolled over his pale skin as it was exposed to the harsh elements. He stood in nothing but a loincloth.
“Lie down,” Moses instructed.
“In the snow!” Arkin said incredulously.
Moses nodded.
After struggling with reason, Arkin reluctantly began to drop to the ground. He lie on his back in the snow, his muscles seizing from the cold. Moses stood over him. “Feel what your body is telling you — what nature is telling you.”
Arkin felt it. It was damn cold. His body shook uncontrollably from head to toe. He looked to the hot spring.
“Not yet,” Moses said.
An urge to chuckle at the madness hit Arkin. He couldn’t contain it and burst out laughing. Looking down, Moses cocked his head, curious.
Arkin laughed until tears flowed from his eyes. It felt good. He couldn’t remember the last time he laughed so hard. The cold faded away, melting into the numbness of his body. Oddly, it felt warm.
“Breathe in deep,” Moses instructed. “Feel your breath inside you. Notice the rising of the chest. Now, let it go.”
Arkin did so, and felt the blood flow through his veins. After a span, he felt completely relaxed and in control, no longer cold or shaking.
“Can you feel it?”
“Yes,” Arkin replied.
“Good. Then you have the slightest idea of what it is. Now go soak in the spring.”
Arkin jumped up and ran through the muddy grass to the steaming pool. After testing the waters with a hand, he dove in. Water never felt so good. He collapsed into it, and in a matter of moments, felt renewed. No sooner than he felt his bones thaw, Moses motioned him out.
“Go to the stream and lie down.”
Arkin stood, the steam rising around him. “Are you kidding? There’s no way I’m doing that.”
Moses shook his head in disappointment. “Maybe you’re not the one I should be training.” He rubbed his bearded chin. “Perhaps it was the girl I met on the high plains.”
Arkin stepped out of the pool. “What girl?” Something told him that he already knew who Moses was referring to.
“Outside of the Order’s camp, I met a girl who knew you. I left my apprentice to train her.”
“Train her? To become a what, a fighter?” Arkin stepped towards the grandmaster and asked, defensively.
Moses saw the aura of strife that constantly held its sway over the young man. He saw the battle within Arkin’s soul to contain it and control it.
The grandmaster took a deep breath. “She is training to become a warrior of the light. Sometimes the call to fight cannot be ignored. It is in that case that he, or she, must be ready. From wits to bones, a warrior must always be ready.”
Arkin looked away and stared into the white landscape around him, his mind filled with thoughts of Lyla. Why did he just leave her and the rest of the people behind? He was supposed to stay with them. It was his job to protect them. He closed his eyes in shame.
“Whatever answer you seek lies in nature.” Moses pointed to the icy stream. “Go. Find it.”
Arkin met his eye, clenched his jaw, then walked toward the water. He went in without hesitation. His breath quickened to a gasp as every muscle in his body began to tense.
“Control your breath,” Moses instructed as he paced through the snow at the edge of the water. “Deeply in. Let it go.” He performed the motions and emphasized with his hand. “Embrace the cold and deny its power over you.”
Shaking uncontrollably, Arkin nodded, though it was hard to tell if it was a nod or a convulsion. He looked at his body under the water and imagined his blood turning to ice. He pushed the thought, and every other thought, from his mind. After focusing his breath, he felt himself grow warm again. Within moments, he didn’t notice the pain anymore.
Deeply in.
Let it go.
He began to feel the control.
“That’s enough for now,” Moses said and offered him a hand.
Arkin slowly stood and took hold of it. “I felt it.”
“You felt what?”
“I felt part of nature. I understand what you mean, now.”
Moses smiled. “My young apprentice, you have barely scratched the surface. You have no idea of what is to feel. It goes beyond your wildest dreams.” He laughed. “You have no idea of what is to come.”
TWENTY THREE
General Maximus sat at the round war table in Stonebridge and rolled his fingers across the scarred, wood surface. His eyes shifted from one man to the next as he waited on the last governor to enter the meeting. When Atlas finally arrived and took his seat, Maximus stood and spoke to the governors of the independent cities.
“We gather here today to discuss the recent events that have taken place in…” He paused, unable to dance around the eloquence of words. He breathed deep through his nose, annoyed. “Let’s cut the formality bullshit. We all know why we’re here.”
The governors enthusiastically voiced their agreement, some beating on the table with clenched fists.
Maximus continued. “We’re here because one man thinks he can rule the world and seeks to control us all.” He looked around the room, meeting each man’s eye. “Well, we’re going to show him the power of a free man — of a free country. We will bring an army of free men to march upon the palace steps after we defeat him in battle!”
Cheers around the table reaffirmed the independent cities’ willingness to go to war. One man spoke after the noise faded. It was the voice of Atlas, governor of Cartha. “He has a larger army than we know. Thousands have left the independent cities, pledged their life to the Religion, and taken the mark.”
“I’ve heard of this,” Griffin said. He, being the governor of Red Bluff, had a close alliance to the neighboring city of Cartha. It was an alliance that Maximus had always kept a watchful eye on. “And that’s just what we know of. I’m sure thousands more have left the small towns that they were raised in and moved to Kingsport for the promise of the King’s Generosity.”
“Damn cowards are scared is all!” The governor of Knoxville spat, jumping from his seat. Butch wasn’t a man of tolerance. “How long have we provided for our people without the aid of Kingsport? I’ll be damned if we need the king now!”
Others joined in and tempers quickly began to rise. Some voiced disdain for the Religion while a couple others were more temperate of its rise in popularity. Curses flew across the table, clearly showing which cities had alliances and which ones didn’t.
Maximus rubbed his temple before brushing back his dark, silver-lined hair. “Enough,” he said, calmly. It was enough to call the rest of the room to attention. “I don’t care how many men he has, they are all slaves. They aren’t free men and won’t fight as such. If we put our differences aside, we will destroy this evil. United together, we will win the war and bring peace back to the kingdom.”
The governors looked at Maximus — each with their own thoughts and emotions written upon their faces.
“What about his power — the one that destroyed the Order and defies the laws of nature itself? How can we win a war against something like that?” Griffin said.
“Aye,” Ken said, governor of Mills River. “Word just caught my ear about the assassination.” He looked around the room. “Can anyone tell me how a man can heal himself after taking a bolt to the guts?”
“And that wasn’t the first time. I heard that he actually died and came back to life,” Atlas noted.
“We’ll see if he can come b
ack to life after he’s chopped into pieces and scattered throughout the independent cities,” Butch spat.
“Still though, he does possess great power. And there is a handful of the Order who serve him who do as well,” Ken noted. “Look what one of them just did to Greenehaven.”
Every eye turned to Maximus. They knew that Hebron’s whereabouts were still unknown, his absence noted at the table.
Maximus stood and addressed the men. “I have sent an ambassador to Greenehaven. If Hebron is dead, I assume control over the city as was written in our pact long ago. It would be the same if the tables were turned. He would have overseen Stonehenge if fate finally called me to meet the Almighty.” He looked down and clenched his fists in anger. His training took over and he pushed all emotions aside. This was the duty of any soldier, and even more so the duty of any true leader. “There’s no doubt that the high priest has incredible power. And there are those who serve him who are capable of untold power as well.” He looked up in earnest. “But that will make no matter. We will go to war. We will unite the cities. We will show them what freedom truly means. And we will leave the rest to the Almighty.” He nodded after speaking, confirming the words to himself. “It’s all we can do.”
“I’m with you,” Butch said. “Knoxville stands ready.”
“Lead the way, Maximus,” Ken said.
Griffin slowly nodded. “Red Bluff is with you, governor.”
Maximus nodded his thanks to each. He looked to Atlas.
“To war,” Atlas said with a sly grin and raised his fist in salute.
Maximus looked around the room and sized each man up. He always prided himself on being an impeccable judge of character. He could tell if a man was just and true in his ways. He took a long glance at the last man who had just claimed his loyalty.
