The Prince of Warwood and The Rise of the Chosen

by J. Noel Clinton

  He was scared to death to use his empowerments again, but he was desperate. He had to get away from the Academy and fast! Closing his eyes, he summoned his teleportation power and teleported flawlessly to the Ruins. Shakily, he shuffled toward the decrepit building and lingered in the doorway but didn’t enter. A low hum and a distant echo of dripping water sifted out of the structure’s depths.

  The sounds, the smell, the energy from the Ruins still frightened Xavier, and he shivered as goose bumps spread across his body. It had been nearly a year since he been here when LeMasters kidnapped and held him captive in its dark depths. The Ruins held nothing but horrible memories. Struggling to regain his courage, he slowly walked through the entrance and into the blackness. The last time he was here, lanterns lit the passage, but now he couldn’t see his own hand an inch from his face. He couldn’t risk conjuring an electro force for light. With his recent track record, he would more than likely blow himself into smithereens! Instead, he shuffled a few feet down the corridor, keeping his hand on the wall to guide him before sinking to the floor. Alone and safe from being found, he simply broke down. He had hurt Lana. He had used his empowerments against her! Would she be all right? He shuddered to think of his father’s reaction when he discovered his son had used his powers against the woman he loved. If Lana died, his father would hate him. Xavier buried his head in his arms and simply cried. He had no idea what he should do next.

  Chapter 24: Out of Control

  “Loren! Get in here, now!” Jeremiah spat as he stomped into the palace, shed his jacket, and tossed his brief case onto the small table next to the door.

  Loren strode into the residence behind the king, shutting the door behind him.

  “How many guards do we have out there looking for my son?”

  “All but the gatehouse core, sir,” Loren answered.

  “Good. Tell them to comb the woods. I felt his presence there before I lost the connection.”

  “Yes, sir,” Loren responded and turned to leave.

  “I wouldn’t do that if I were you, sire,” a low voice whispered from the receiving room.

  The men spun, their bodies tense and at the ready. The prophet stood next to the fireplace, leaning casually against the mantle and stoking the fire. The men relaxed marginally and the prophet smiled dryly.

  “Abe, we don’t have time for this.” The king sighed impatiently. “Xavier is missing. He attacked a child at the school, not to mention…”

  “Lana Applegate, yes, I know,” the prophet answered. The men waited for the old man to continue.

  When he didn’t, the king growled edgily, “I don’t have time for a damn guessing game, Abe. My son is missing! Now, spit it out!”

  The prophet smirked, but turned to face the king, meeting his eyes unflinchingly. “That is why I am here, sire. It’s time. Xavier’s powers are at an influx. He’s gaining new powers at an exponential rate and as a result, his ability to control and focus his powers is faltering.” The men exchanged uneasy glances as the prophet continued, “He must be isolated from the public. He must begin his training. And you must acquire the powers needed to keep the boy from hurting himself or others in the process.”

  “Abe, I appreciate what you’re saying, but there’s just not enough time, and it doesn’t change anything. I need to find him! If what you say is true, he’s probably scared witless,” Jeremiah responded, grabbing his jacket. He stomped out of the residence with Loren and the prophet on his heels.

  “Sire! Sire! It’s dire that you listen to me!” Abe insisted.

  “If you haven’t noticed, we’re in a bit of a crisis here! If the boy has begun his convergence, I do not have time to be endowed with powers! He must be found before he does something that cannot be fixed!”

  “You must make time, Jeremiah! Why do you have to be so damn stubborn?”

  “You’re crossing the line, Abe. Remember who you’re addressing,” Loren hissed as they exited the palace.

  The prophet glared briefly at the general before grabbing the king by the shoulder and spinning him to face him. “If you go after him without the powers necessary, you will only make matters worse! He’s unpredictable, he’s afraid, he’s guilt-ridden, he’s ashamed, and he’s full of strong, powerful emotions that will only exacerbate his control issues!”

  “Abe, I’m not disagreeing with you, but there just isn’t enough time to acquire them! First, I’d have to call the High Council to arrange a meeting. Then I’d need to make the proposal and wait while they deliberate…”

  The king stopped abruptly, and both he and the prophet turned toward the woods and listened to something only they could hear. Loren watched the pair in awe and was struck by how similar the men were although they were decades apart in age.

  Jeremiah was the first to break the trance-like state. “He’s in the woods. He’s calling Robbie to come to him. I didn’t get all of it; his telepathy pulsated in and out of focus. I think he was trying to block me.” Jeremiah looked at the older man. “I have to go now, Abe. Robbie is in danger. I must get to him before she does!”

  Abraham nodded. “Yes, you must. He will kill her tonight if you don’t get there in time. Take care, Your Highness! He’s extremely volatile.”

  Jeremiah gave the older man a nod, looked at his general, and the pair walked toward the palace gate.

  “So? What’s the plan?” Loren asked quietly.

  “I’ve contacted the entire Royal Guard platoon to report to the edge of the woods near the school. We’ll meet them there and begin the search. No one will search alone, and there must be at least one strong blocker in each group.”

  Loren nodded as he followed the king to the Academy. He only hoped the plan would be enough.

  Xavier stepped out of the Ruins some time later and found that the sky had darkened considerably. He couldn’t hide all day; he had to face this thing, but he needed Robbie. Only Robbie could help him figure out what he should do now. He had no choice. He would have to use his telepathy and risk being overheard by his father. After breathing evenly for a minute or two to calm his nerves, he connected easily to his powers.

  “Robbie? Robbie, can you hear me? I need you, please,” he pleaded.

  “Xavier? God, everyone is looking for you! Your dad is going nuts!” she replied.

  “I know, but I need your help! Can you please meet me at the lake?” he begged.

  There was a long silence. Had he lost his connection? He couldn’t hear her thoughts, which was odd.

  “Robbie, are you still there?”

  Finally she answered, “Yeah, I’m still here. I’ll meet you in fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay. See you then. Thanks, Robbie!” he disconnected and began the trek back to the lake.

  By the time he reached the lake, Robbie was sitting on a rock waiting for him. She stood the moment he emerged from the wood.

  “Hi,” she greeted carefully.

  “Hi,” he muttered back. “How’s Lana?”

  “She’s in the hospital, but the healers say she’s going to be fine.”

  He collapsed to his knees and moaned, “Oh, thank God!”

  “Xavier, you need to tell your dad,” Robbie told him firmly.

  “I…I want to…I just...” He peered up at Robbie desperately. “I don’t know how to tell him.”

  Robbie knelt next to him. “Xavier, it’s going to be all right. We’ll figure it out together. Okay?”

  The moment Robbie wrapped her arms around him, Xavier felt relief and comfort wash over him, and he desperately clung back. They were so close he thought he would fall into her. Then his innocent need for comfort changed, and he felt heat and an intense need to kiss her. Slowly, he pulled away and looked at her. When she looked at him with those large chocolate eyes, he simply reacted. He leaned toward her and brushed his lips to hers. His inhibitions cracked as the building heat exploded inside him. He was so consumed with the kiss that he didn’t feel Robbie pushing him away until she finally gave him a hard
shove. He fell backwards onto the ground and landed on his butt. Annoyed and confused he looked up at her and saw fear in her eyes. One quick glance around him and he realized why. The forest was on fire! He jumped to his feet!

  “How did that happen?” he shouted.

  “How else? You!” she shouted as she stood and looked around desperately for an escape from the ring of flames.

  A loud whoosh made both children jump as a ball of fire flashed overhead and crashed into a nearby cluster of shrubs. Robbie screamed. The concussion from the impact sent them to the ground. The earth rumbled and shook like a giant waking beneath them.

  “Robbie, come on! We’ve got to get out of here!” he shouted, scrambling to stand.

  He helped her to her feet and pulled her toward the only part of the lake’s perimeter that was not aflame. They darted into the woods and clambered through the thick foliage, but the inferno continued to stalk them, bombarding them with fiery missiles. Robbie was beyond afraid; she was petrified. Xavier could feel it in her thoughts, her words, and in the way she squeezed his hand. She was terrified of him! He swallowed back tears as he continued fighting his way through the woods. Then the earth shuddered and growled beneath their feet, they staggered into one another.

  “Xavier! Make it stop! Please, make it stop!”

  He shouted fearfully. “Don’t you think I would if I could? I can’t, Robbie. I can’t!”

  Suddenly, a ball of fire thundered out of the sky above them and slammed into the earth just feet in front of them. They were thrown several feet backwards and collapsed into a tangled heap.

  “Robbie?” he called anxiously, squirming out from under her limp body. She was out cold and a cut on her forehead was bleeding profusely. Oh, no! “Robbie!”

  Xavier tried to lift her and carry her from the woods, but he wasn’t strong enough.

  “Robbie? Please wake up! We’ve gotta get out of here! Please! I can’t carry you!”

  But, she wasn’t waking and the fire was intensifying around them. Desperate, he began to pull her through the forest, but it was slow going with the fallen foliage and debris on the ground.

  Then, like a savior, his father emerged from the smoke and fire with Loren, Ephraim, and Henrick behind him.

  “Dad! Please help me! I can’t lift her!”

  “I’ve got her, son,” Jeremiah told him as he scooped the girl into his arms and turned to retrace his steps through the woods.

  The three guardsmen surrounded Xavier, but he paid no attention to them as he followed his father through the burning forest, his tearful eyes fixed on Robbie’s bleeding, unconscious face.

  “Is…is she…” He couldn’t finish the question. Robbie was hurt and he had been the one who harmed her! Nothing he said or did would make that okay. What if she died? He whimpered miserably at the thought and the fire pounding the earth around them intensified.

  Abruptly, his father spun and pinned him with a steady, firm look. “Calm yourself, boy!”

  He tried to do as his father demanded, but it was next to impossible. In just a few short hours, he had managed to injure two people dearest to him. Anxiety tightened its grip in his chest.

  “Xavier, calm down and breathe!” his father ordered.

  He nodded and inhaled a deep, shaky breath.

  “Again.”

  He inhaled another deep breath.

  “And, again.”

  After one last cleansing breath, the fire storm around them lessened marginally, and his father nodded satisfactorily before turning and leading the rest of the way out of the woods.

  When they finally emerged from the woods, it was completely engulfed in flames like a giant orange monster, but Xavier’s eyes were fixed on Robbie as his father settled her to the ground to look her over. He looked at his general.

  “She’s breathing. It could be a mild concussion, but I don’t have scanning abilities to be certain. Loren, can you check her over?”

  Loren stepped out from behind Xavier and moved toward the girl. He knelt and placed one hand on Robbie’s abdomen and the other on her head. Xavier watched restlessly as Robbie was engulfed in a fantastic white light. A moment later, the light evaporated. Robbie groaned and her eyes briefly fluttered open. Xavier expelled a tense breath and closed his eyes with relief.

  “She’ll be fine. As you said, she has a mild concussion,” Loren responded, standing.

  “Thank God,” Xavier muttered.

  For the first time, he noticed the large crowd gathered in the field adjacent to the school. Although he was taken aback to see the group there, he was completely shocked to see the entire Royal Guard dressed in combat gear standing rigidly in front of the crowd. A chill of fear crept down his spine as he studied the rigid, stone-faced soldiers.

  “Dowler! Get the girl to the infirmary,” his father barked at a guard standing nearby.

  Dowler hurried forward, lifted Robbie into his arms, and carried her toward the palace gates.

  Then the king turned toward his son with unreadable eyes. With a sigh, he and Loren cautiously stepped toward him.

  “You need to come with me, son.”

  Xavier stepped backwards before becoming acutely aware of Ephraim and Henrick’s presence behind him. Instinctively he tried to side-step his father and his men, but they countered the move. Fear like he had never experienced before gripped him, clawing at his soul. There was only one explanation for the presence of the Royal Guard: his father planned to have him arrested and punished.

  “D...Dad. I...I didn’t meant to! I swear! My...my powers, I can’t control them any more...I...I swear...I’d never intentionally hurt Lana or Robbie!” he pleaded, his fear and anxiety growing by the second.

  “Xavier...” his father began but was interrupted.

  “PLEASE, Dad! It’s the truth! I don’t know what to do anymore! I can’t control it...any of it!” he continued to move away from the men who were slowly and calmly matching his every step.

  “Stop! Please! Stay away! I don’t want to hurt anyone else!” he cried, tears streaming down his face. “I SAID STOP! I don’t want to hurt you! PLEASE!”

  The earth beneath their feet began to tremble. There was a collective gasp of fear and confusion from the crowd. The closer the men got to Xavier, the more intense the trembling became until it was bone-rattling.

  “Xavier!” his father barked. “Calm down! It’ll only get worse if you continue to get worked up!”

  With a sideways glance from the king, Loren, Ephraim, and Henrick rushed at the boy, but the men never reached him. An invisible, ear-popping compression exploded from the prince, and the three men were hurled twenty feet away.

  Jeremiah stared at his fallen men, stunned. The boy had just tossed his best guards across the field like dolls. His gaze swept from the men to his son’s stunned, panicked face. Large crocodile tears pooled in Xavier’s eyes as he hugged his shaking body. He was terrified. The king could feel the fear rolling off him in overwhelming waves. Cautiously, he crept toward him and spoke in a low, soothing tone, “Son, please, just calm down. It’s going to be okay.”

  His wide eyes darted away from the fallen men to his father. “No, it’s not!” he cried miserably. “It’s not! It’s never going to be ok! NEVER!” He released a shuddering sob before continuing. “How can I calm down when I’m about to be arrested and caned for using my powers against people? But, I didn’t do it on purpose. I can’t control my powers anymore! They just go haywire without warning. It’s not my fault, Dad. Please! I’m telling you the truth! You’ve got to believe me.”

  As the boy shouted, tremors rocking the earth intensified with a sudden jolt and sent every person within a mile radius stumbling and staggering.

  The king staggered but managed to right himself as he continued, “Xavier, you’re not going to be arrested or caned!”

  “Liar! You told me I would! You said if I ever used my powers, intentionally or not, you would cane me!” he bellowed, fresh tears pouring down his cheeks.
>
  The pressure building against the unstable terrain finally reached a climax, and the Earth expelled a loud report as an enormous crack snaked across the field. The crowd screamed and scrambled away from the widening crevice.

  “Xavier! You won’t be caned...please, son! Calm down. I don’t want to have to hurt you!” his father yelled over the rumbling earth and cries from the crowd.

  “I don’t want to hurt you, Dad. Stay away! Please! Get back!” he screamed.

  The boy was out of control and beyond reason, and Jeremiah was terrified the prophet had been right. Xavier was about to do something he would regret for the rest of his life. He was a danger to every man, woman, and child in the kingdom. “I have to protect my people! I have no choice! I’m so sorry, son. I hope you’ll forgive me for what I am about to do.”

  His father’s thoughts slammed into him like an alarm. Xavier only had a fraction of a second to decipher the meaning behind the thoughts before his father launched himself at him. Fear prickled through his body and into his extremities. Then, a blazing force blasted from him, striking the king with the intensity of an atom bomb. His father was thrown into a group of guardsmen thirty meters away, knocking them down like bowling pins. Then, all hell broke loose!

  The guards on his left rushed at him with their weapons at the ready. He screamed something incomprehensible, dropped to a knee, and slammed his fist against the earth. The ground broke apart around him and a guard tumbled into the ravine. Xavier cried out in agony, and the sky erupted in lightning and thunder. Hail bombarded the earth and sent the crowd scrambling for cover. The last thing he saw of Warwood before he teleported was a group of guardsmen rushing his father’s limp body to safety.