Sword of Spirit (Salvation of Solandeus)

by David J. VanBergen Jr.

  As soon as they got there, Mat, Michael, and Persephonie dismounted and took care of their horses. They removed their gear and saddles and brushed the horses down. Once that was done, they led the horses to the lake to drink. While they were there, all three riders splashed water on their faces and arms to clean up a little. The water was cool and refreshing, and they all felt quite a bit better after that. They were tempted to drink the cool water, but given the reported murkiness of the lake, they decided it would be best to avoid drinking the water until they could investigate it further in the morning.

  After watering their horses, the group tethered them and fed each of them some grain. They agreed to find the horses somewhere to graze the next day.

  With the horses cared for, the group set about making camp. Michael worked on making a fire pit while Mat and Persephonie gathered firewood. They were all pretty tired, and there was still some tension among the group, so there wasn’t much talking. They quickly had camp set up and a fire started. It was agreed that Michael would take the middle watch because his years of experience had helped train his body for campaigning. He could fall asleep quickly, wake after a few hours to stand watch, then get back to sleep quickly for the rest of the night. Mat volunteered to take the first watch, and Persephonie agreed to take the third watch.

  As Michael and Persephonie got comfortable around the fire, Mat wandered away from the campsite looking for a good place for keeping watch. About 30 yards from the camp, Mat found a large rock, a small boulder really, to sit on. From his seat he could see the camp, but wasn’t close enough for the fire to hinder his night vision. As he settled in for his watch, he looked across the lake wondering if tomorrow would be the day they found the sword and what that might mean to his future.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  The night passed without incident, and by morning everybody was rested and ready to start the search for the Sword of Spirit. Their plan was simple: Mat was going to try on the Bracers of Righteous Might to see if they truly would lead him to the sword. There was only one flaw with this plan – the sword was somewhere out in the lake and they didn’t have a boat. For some reason, they had all assumed there would be a boat there for them to use, but as they looked around the beach there was nothing in sight.

  On the positive side, with the sun up, they were quickly able to find the landmarks that confirmed that this was, in fact, Stone Lake. Their current camp was located on the southern shore.

  Since there was no way to start searching the lake just then, they decided to split up and explore the area after eating another bland breakfast of oatmeal and dried berries. They still needed to find a source of clean water, so Michael went in search of one of the many streams that fed the lake. According to the map, there were several to the east of their current position, so he headed that way.

  Mat and Persephone headed west hoping to find a boat they could borrow or something else helpful for their search. Persephonie took her bow, and Mat carried his miniature crossbow. They didn’t think they would need weapons to protect themselves, but if they were lucky they might stumble across a deer or something else that would make a delicious meal.

  As they set out, there was no speaking for quite awhile. Eventually the silence began to weigh on Mat, so he spoke.

  “That’s a nice bow,” Mat commented, “are you a good shot?”

  The scowl on her face told him he wasn’t making things better, but he wasn’t going to give up. They were going to be traveling together and needed to be on better terms.

  “The bow is my favorite weapon,” he continued. “I actually make my own bows and arrows. I even made this miniature crossbow I brought with us. I really like working with wood and can usually sense which pieces of wood are best. I don’t know how I know, but I can tell which pieces have the right combination of strength and flexibility to make the best bows.”

  Persephonie looked like she wanted to say something but didn’t. He noticed she wasn’t scowling anymore so at least that was a step in the right direction.

  After a few more minutes of silence, Persephonie finally said, “You are a really good shot with your bow. I saw you practicing back in Danton.”

  “I like hunting with the bow,” Mat added, anxious to keep the conversation going. “I don’t get a chance to do it very often, but some of my favorite memories from growing up are occasional hunting trips with my father and brothers.”

  This made Mat think about his family. He had now been away from home for over two weeks, and that was the longest he had ever been away from his family. That thought dampened his mood, and he wondered when he would see any of them again.

  Persephonie saw his demeanor had changed and now she worked to keep the conversation going so he didn’t withdraw into himself. “I never really went on hunting trips,” she said, “but this bow has provided a lot of meals for me over the last year. I’m not as good a shot as you, but I usually hit what I’m shooting at.”

  “Maybe we’ll see a deer, and you can show me how good a shot you are,” Mat said, smiling and nudging her. “Venison would be a huge upgrade over oatmeal or bean soup.”

  “I hope so too,” she agreed. “Oatmeal and beans provide nutrition, but they certainly don’t make me look forward to the next meal.”

  For the rest of the morning, they continued to chat as they searched for a boat. They didn’t see any deer or other meal-worthy animals, but that wasn’t too surprising since they were stomping around and not making any real effort to be quiet. By mid-day, they were getting hungry and decided to return to the campsite.

  When they got back to the campsite, Michael was already there. He had tethered the horses in a patch of long grass so they could graze and had a pot of water heating by the fire.

  Mat and Persephonie looked at each other and groaned. “Ugh,” Mat said, “it looks like bean soup again.” They both chuckled.

  Michael gave them a perplexed look but then asked them about their search. After learning they didn’t have any luck finding a boat, Michael told them about the streams he found feeding the lake. There was plenty of fresh water, and he replenished their water supply. There were several natural pools that would be perfect for bathing, and there were other spots that looked like they might be good places to catch fish.

  Since they hadn’t found any boats to borrow, they would have to build their own. They had plenty of rope, so all they needed to do was cut down some trees and tie them together to make a raft. At least that was the plan. None of them had ever built a raft, but it sounded simple enough so they were pretty confident they could do it.

  It was starting to look like the endeavor to find the sword was going to be a multi-day search, so they decided to work on setting up a more substantial camp. While Mat worked on cutting trees to make their raft, Michael worked on building shelters for the group. Persephonie took her bow and went into the woods to hunt for something better tasting than bean soup for dinner.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  By the time the sun set, Michael had created a small shelter for each of them. They were simple structures that opened up towards the fire pit, but they would block the wind, and if it rained, they should keep the group dry.

  Mat had also finished the raft and had two long poles to guide the raft across the lake. The whole lake was supposed to be shallow with it rarely getting deeper than 10 to 12 feet; guiding the raft with poles should be an easy way to move around. The raft itself was made of about 20 straight logs tied together securely. Before it got dark, he had taken it out on the lake for a test, and it appeared to be seaworthy, or at least lake-worthy.

  Both men were tired from the physical work and were settling in around the fire when Persephonie returned. She hadn’t been able to bring down a deer but had been able to shoot a couple pheasants. They quickly cleaned them and had them roasting over the fire. It was a definite improvement over the oatmeal and bean soup they had been eating for the last two days.

  While they waited for the pheasants
to cook, they talked about the day’s events. Mat complimented Persephonie’s shooting ability for bringing down the pheasants which brought a smile to her face. Michael was quick to agree that killing birds with a bow required a lot of skill. There was still some tension in the group, but things were starting to get better.

  They also talked about the plan for the next day. Mat was going to try on the bracers and see if anything was revealed to him. Unless they led him directly to the sword somehow, they would use the raft to explore the lake. Using various landmarks around the lake, they were going to attempt to travel back and forth in straight lines. After getting to the far side of the lake, they would move over and come back.

  If their plan was going to work, they needed one of four things to happen. First, they would have to see the sword at the bottom of the lake. Given the cloudiness of the lake, this seemed doubtful. Second, they would have to find it with one of the poles. They would use the poles to feel around the bottom of the lake as they went, but this also seemed like a long shot. Third, the bracers would have to somehow guide them to where the sword was. This seemed like their best prospect because the legends said the bracers would help lead the way to the other pieces of the Armor of God. If none of the previous three things happened, their last hope was that the Sword of Spirit would somehow reveal itself.

  The group knew it was a long shot that they would find a sword at the bottom of a lake without some supernatural intervention. To their reasoning, however, it seemed completely logical that a mystical sword could magically reveal itself.

  As soon as the birds were cooked, they devoured them quickly. They literally ate everything but the bones, and they all could have eaten more. After days of bland meals, though, it was still very satisfying.

  After the combination of a long afternoon of physical work and eating a satisfying meal, both Michael and Mat had a hard time keeping their eyes open. Persephonie was still feeling pretty good so she agreed to take first watch and let Mat have third watch. Michael was going to take second watch again.

  With everything settled, Mat and Michael went to their newly constructed shelters and were quickly asleep. As the men settled in to sleep, Persephonie walked the perimeter of the camp and thought about the quest and her involvement in it. She was still upset about being tricked into revealing herself, but had to admit that she would choose Mat and the quest for the Armor of God over the Druids again. She just got forced into it before she was ready and that didn’t quite seem fair.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  Mat was standing at the edge of the lake with the Sword of Spirit in his hand. He held it in front of himself, examining it in the moonlight. It was lightweight and felt like an extension of his arm as opposed to the heavy piece of metal it should be. The sword glowed in the moonlight and he could sense the power of it.

  From behind him, Mat heard someone calling his name. He ignored the call and continued to marvel at the sword. After a minute he heard the call again and felt a hand on his shoulder shaking him.

  Mat opened his eyes to see Michael shaking him, calling his name. Gradually, everything came back to him and he remembered where he was. It must be his turn to stand watch.

  He continued to have dreams related to the armor every night, and while they certainly seemed real, he wasn’t waking up in a cold sweat any more. He hoped the dream about the sword was foreshadowing a successful search.

  As Michael made his way back to his shelter to sleep for a few more hours, Mat got up and stretched. As he walked around the perimeter of the camp to get his blood flowing again, he thought about what the day might hold. He was going to put on the bracers for the first time, and he had no idea what that might be like. Today could also be the day he found the Sword of Spirit. After the dream, he was looking forward to holding that magnificent sword.

  He wanted to make sure that they got started as soon as possible, so he filled a pot with water and had it heating by the fire before the sun even came up. When Michael and Persephonie woke at first light, he had already eaten and was sitting by the fire with the Bracers of Righteous Might in his lap. The others could sense he was deep in thought and made breakfast for themselves without talking.

  After Michael and Persephonie finished eating, they washed out the bowls and put out the fire. Through it all, Mat just sat there with the bracers in his lap, deep in thought. As they returned to camp with clean bowls, Mat finally broke the silence.

  “Part of me feels like these have always been mine,” Mat said, “and another part of me is telling me to run away from them and never look back. I know it’s possible that nothing will happen when I put them on, but, in my heart, I know my life will never be the same again.”

  Before Michael or Persephonie could even comment, Mat slid on the bracers. They watched with concern as Mat stiffened and started to shake. He didn’t seem to be in pain, but he stared straight ahead and appeared to be looking at something that neither of them could see. He sat like that for less than a minute, then shook his head and seemingly returned to normal.

  “Wow,” he said, “that was intense. How long was I out?”

  “Less than a minute,” Michael responded.

  “What happened?” Persephonie asked. She was genuinely concerned that he was all right.

  “I saw places, people, and battles,” he said. “Many different people, places, and battles. I was a key part of the action. They were so vivid. So real.”

  “Do you feel anything right now?” Michael asked.

  “I feel powerful,” Mat answered. “I don’t know how else to describe it. I feel like I am stronger than I have ever been and that my strength will never run out.”

  “Do you feel any connection to the sword?” Persephonie asked.

  “I don’t think so,” he replied, “but I do feel like a part of me is missing. It’s almost like an unfulfilled craving. A hunger I can’t satisfy. Unfortunately, it isn’t pointing me in any specific direction or giving me any idea what to do about it.”

  “Well,” Michael said, “let’s hope it does something different if we get close to the sword.”

  “I hope so,” Persephonie said.

  “Unless there is something else you can think of,” Mat said, “let’s get started on that search.” With that, the search for the sword began in earnest.

  The first pass across the lake went relatively smoothly. As expected, the water was too cloudy to see much of anything. They could occasionally make out features on the bottom when it got shallower, but they knew they would have to get very lucky to see the sword through the murky water. The poles worked well to propel the raft, and they were able to pick out some features on the bottom of the lake. They could tell the bottom was fairly hard, but it still seemed unlikely that a pole would find the sword.

  When they finished the first pass, Mat commented that he didn’t get any specific feelings about the sword’s location. He continued to feel that craving for something, but it wasn’t stronger or weaker at any time. It remained a constant feeling of emptiness that needed to be filled.

  By the time they stopped to eat something for lunch, they had traveled across the lake and back three times. After eating another meal of beans, they decided to split up for the afternoon. Mat and Michael would go back out on the lake to keep searching, and Persephonie would spend the afternoon hunting and fishing.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  That evening Mat, Michael, and Persephonie sat around the fire tired and frustrated. The guys had made 10 trips back and forth across the lake before it got dark and had come across no signs of the sword. The bracers, which were now lying in Mat’s shelter, had never given him any indication they were near the sword. Now that they were off, Mat didn’t feel that unfulfilled craving any more, but it was replaced by a frustration that was almost worse.

  Fortunately for the group’s stomachs, Persephonie’s afternoon was as successful as the men’s afternoon was unsuccessful. She had been able to kill four more pheasant within the first
hour then decided to check for fish in the creeks Michael had found the day before. She found a nice little fishing hole and had caught six good-sized trout.

  She left the trout in an isolated pool to keep them fresh for the next day but had cleaned and cooked all four pheasants. The hungry group of three had no problems finishing off the pheasant.

  Mat and Michael ate in silence, obviously frustrated at their lack of success. Persephonie made a couple of attempts to cheer them up, but it was apparent to her that the only thing that would really improve their moods was to find the Sword of Spirit.

  After finishing dinner, the group decided to follow the same watch schedule as the night before, so Mat and Michael went off to their shelters and Persephonie started walking the perimeter of the camp. They all hoped that tomorrow would bring them better results, but none of them were overly optimistic at that point.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  By the time the third day ended with no success, morale was becoming a problem. Mat and Michael sat around the fire staring at the flames with sore arms and dark thoughts. The only bright spot of the first three days was Persephonie’s hunting and fishing abilities. So far, they had eaten meals of pheasant, trout, and venison. She had even found some fresh wild berries that added a nice flavor to the oatmeal.

  The bracers hadn’t provided any help finding the sword. Over the first three days, Mat had gotten used to the sense of longing they seemed to impart. Tonight, he was so worn out that he didn’t feel like spending the effort needed to take them off.

  Mat said very little while they ate and went straight to bed as soon as he was done eating. Michael and Persephonie stayed up for awhile discussing other ways of searching for the sword. By the end of tomorrow, they would probably finish searching the whole lake. At that point, they would have to decide if they were going to search it again or try one of the other lakes in the area.