Sword of Spirit (Salvation of Solandeus)

by David J. VanBergen Jr.

  If they agreed to do another pass of Stone Lake, they would definitely have to come up with another way to search. They discussed several ideas including using a net to drag the lake. They hadn’t come up with a definite solution, but at least they had a few ideas. Just having something else to try made both of them feel better as they got up from the fire, one to go to bed and the other to stand watch.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  Mat was standing on the raft in the middle of the lake. He had the bracers on and could feel them drawing him towards the water. He knew the sword was down there. He just had to go get it. With that, he dove headfirst into the murky water.

  At first, he couldn’t see anything, but then the bracers started glowing. They lit up the water all around him as he swam towards the bottom of the lake. Using the light from the bracers, he searched the lake bottom. Even though he had been under water for a long time, he didn’t need to go back up for air so he continued to search.

  He was starting to think he would never find the sword when he saw something on the bottom glowing in the distance. As he swam towards this new light, he started to notice some of the features of the lake bottom. The lake was very flat where he was with the exception of a large boulder that seemed to be blocking the light. As he swam around the boulder, the light got so intense that he could barely see. He covered his eyes with his hand to block some of the light while he tried to identify the light source. Slowly his eyes started to focus on the brightly glowing object at the bottom of the lake.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  Mat bolted upright and hit his head on the shelter. “I found the sword,” he yelled out.

  His heart was beating rapidly and he was covered in a cold sweat. As he looked down at his arms, he saw that he still wore the bracers and that they were glowing. He looked up to see Michael, wide awake and alert, and Persephonie, still rubbing sleep from her eyes, staring at the glowing bracers.

  As Mat told them about the dream, Michael and Persephonie asked him questions to try to get the complete story. By the end of the retelling, they had a pretty good idea of where to start looking. They would try to find this large boulder and then search the area around the boulder. If all went well, they would have the Sword of Spirit before the day was over.

  With this latest revelation, the group was rejuvenated and excited about searching again. The hardest part was waiting for the sun to come up, but as soon as it did they were on the water, maneuvering the raft towards the middle of the lake.

  It sounded like a simple task, but finding a submerged boulder in the middle of the lake proved to be more difficult than they hoped. The group had skipped breakfast because they were eager to get started, so by mid-day everybody was hungry and starting to get irritable. They returned to shore to have a quick lunch of bean and venison stew then went back out to find the boulder from Mat’s dream.

  The afternoon proved to be as frustrating as the morning. Shortly after lunch they thought they were on to something, but it turned out to be a small shipwreck. Mat dove down to inspect it but quickly realized it wasn’t the boulder from his dream, so he came back up and they continued their search.

  As sunset approached, they agreed to end their search once it got dark. They weren’t completely dejected because they felt they were on the right track, but it was disheartening to feel so close but not be able to find it.

  The descending sun was just touching the horizon when Persephonie called out, “I think I found something!”

  Michael had the other pole and came over to poke around the bottom of the lake. “There’s definitely something here,” he said. “The water rapidly goes from about 12 feet deep to only a few feet then back to 12 feet. It could be a boulder, but with the light fading, I can’t see even a few feet into the water.”

  Mat stood there looking out over lake at the landmarks. He couldn’t tell for sure, but it seemed like this was a very similar position to what he saw in his dream. With nothing to lose, he jumped into the water feet first so he wouldn’t hit his head on the boulder, if that is what it really was.

  Once he was in the water, he realized he could barely see anything. Unlike in his dream, the bracers did not start glowing to show him the way. Also, unlike in his dream, he needed to breath, so after a few seconds he went back up to get some air. Once he had surfaced, he swam over to the boat to talk to Michael and Persephonie.

  “I can’t see a thing under the water,” he said.

  “Should we try to mark this spot and come back in the morning?” Persephonie asked.

  “Maybe,” Mat replied, “but I want to try for a little while until it gets completely dark. Let me check out that spot you found. If I can confirm it is a boulder, we’ll know we are in the right spot.”

  Mat swam around to the other side of the raft to check out the submerged object. As he approached it, he scraped his knees. While holding on to the edge of the raft, he felt around with his feet until he found a flat surface. As he found footing, he was able to stand up on what must be a sizable boulder. When he stood, the water only came to his waist. He briefly wondered how the boulder got there but quickly decided it wasn’t important.

  Encouraged that they might be in the right spot, Mat took a deep breath and plunged underwater to explore the boulder. Between half a dozen trips to the bottom of the lake and a few minutes walking around on the top, he estimated the size of the boulder. At its largest point, it appeared to be about 10 feet across. At the top of the boulder there was a relatively flat spot about three feet wide that made a nice place to rest while he caught his breath between dives.

  After he mapped out the boulder, he started making dives to explore the area around the boulder. By this point it, the sun was almost completely down, and he knew it would soon be completely dark out. He was just about to give up for the night when he thought he felt something. He swam to the surface to get a breath of air then headed right back down.

  Once he made it back down to the bottom, he groped around trying to find what he come across before going up for air. The bottom of the lake was very flat here and only covered by an inch of silt. As he explored by touch, almost completely blind, his hand bumped something hard. He had been down for a while now, and his lungs were starting to burn. He needed to go back to the surface for more air, but he didn’t want to lose what he had found. He fought the urge to surface and frantically floundered around with both hands.

  As his hands found the object he had bumped they closed around something that was a couple of inches in diameter. It felt hard, but more like wood than metal. Whatever it was, he grabbed it with both hands and pushed off the bottom with his legs to propel him to the surface.

  Mat broke the surface of the water gasping for air. He awkwardly swam back towards the boulder holding the object with one hand and paddling with the other. He needed to rest and catch his breath.

  “What’s wrong,” Persephonie called out to him. “Is everything ok?”

  As he scrambled onto the rock and got his feet under himself, he replied, “I found something, but I don’t know what it is.”

  For a few seconds, he stood there catching his breath. His arms hung down, and whatever he had found was still under water. As he slowly raised the object out of the water, the last rays of sunshine illuminated his discovery. There in his hand was the most magnificent sword he had ever seen.

  With a roar of triumph Mat raised the sword over his head. The last glimmers of light reflected off the sword’s blade making it seem like it was glowing. He stood there staring at it in wonder.

  Mat was jarred from his reverie by something barreling into him, almost knocking him off the boulder. He looked down to see Persephonie in the water jumping around for joy. After several jumps, her foot slipped off the boulder and she started to go under, but Mat reacted quickly and reached down with one arm to catch her, the other arm still holding the sword over his head. As she got her feet back under her, she flung her arms around him and gave him a hug.


  She released her hug quickly and said, “I can’t believe you found it!”

  “I can’t either,” Mat said as he lowered the sword. “It feels like it has always been with me, though. It feels like it is a part of me already.”

  “Let’s get you out of the water and back to camp,” Persephonie said.

  Michael helped both of them back onto the raft and poled them back to the shore. Now that the initial excitement of finding the sword was dissipating, an aura of stunned silence prevailed all the way back to shore.

  - - - - - - - - - -

  Michael had watched the scene unfold from the raft. He had watched Mat, standing there in waist deep water, raise the Sword of Spirit over his head. The last rays of the setting sun illuminated the sword. It gave him chills.

  It was an image he would remember for the rest of his days. It was a scene from legends. It was an image painters would immortalize. It was a scene that meant dark days of death and destruction were coming.

  Chapter 14

  Back at the campsite, Mat sat in front of the fire shivering - partly because he was cold and partly because he was so excited to have the Sword of Spirit in his hands. Persephonie also sat close to the fire, drying her clothes and getting warm. Michael was preparing a celebratory meal of venison, pheasant, and trout. The whole group was giddy with the excitement of finding the sword. Mat felt it the most because he was holding it, but the whole group could sense the energy and power emanating from the sword. There was no doubt that this truly was an instrument of God.

  Michael returned to the fire to start cooking and asked Mat, “May I hold the sword?”

  “Sure,” Mat replied, “it is lighter than any sword I have ever held, but I can sense it is also incredibly strong.”

  Mat handed the sword to Michael who almost fell over trying to extend it. Even with two hands on the hilt, he couldn’t keep the tip of the sword off the ground.

  “I thought you said it was light,” Michael said. “I can’t even hold it up with both hands. It will be completely useless in battle; it’s way too heavy.”

  Persephonie walked over and grasped the sword with both hands to see if she could lift it, but she could barely keep the sword from falling to the ground.

  “I can’t lift it either,” she said.

  “What are you talking about?” Mat asked as he took it back with one hand and moved through several maneuvers. “It’s as light as a rapier.”

  “Either you are the strongest young man I have ever met,” Michael said, “or it is altering its weight for you.”

  “The legends did indicate that the sword was magical,” Mat commented, “so I guess that’s possible.”

  “It’s also said that it will not cut a righteous man.” Michael said. “Let’s test that theory.”

  “How?” Mat asked.

  “I don’t want to be presumptuous,” Michael said, “but I think I am a righteous man. Try to cut me with the sword.”

  “Are you crazy?” Mat asked. “This thing is razor sharp.”

  “I’m not asking you to cut my head off,” Michael said. “Just take the sword and try to cut my arm. If I start bleeding, stop and stitch me up.”

  “Yeah,” Mat said sarcastically, “that sounds like a much better idea.”

  “We are on a quest to recover magical weapons and armor,” Michael replied. “If we didn’t believe they had mystical properties, we wouldn’t be looking for them. We have to have faith that they are special. If you aren’t going to trust the weapon’s properties, we might as well stop right now.”

  “Ok,” Mat replied, “but you can’t blame me if I cut you.”

  “I won’t,” Michael said, “but I don’t think it will hurt me.”

  Michael pulled up the left sleeve of his shirt exposing his forearm. Mat put the sharp tip of the sword against the knight’s arm and applied pressure to the sword.

  “How does that feel?” Mat asked.

  “I can feel the pressure,” Michael said, “but it doesn’t feel sharp at all. Now move it down my arm like you are trying to slice my arm.”

  Mat did as Michael said and sliced down his arm with the sword. As the sword passed down his arm, it left a white mark that quickly disappeared, but the skin never parted and no blood appeared. Mat and Persephonie were both astonished, but Michael, who expected it, was more pleased than surprised.

  “It felt like a smooth piece of wood being dragged across my arm,” Michael said, “and it didn’t feel sharp to me at all.”

  “Are there any other magical properties of the sword?” Persephonie asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Michael said. “The sword apparently alters its weight for the chosen person to use it as we have seen. That wasn’t something that I had heard of before. The legends say it won’t cut a righteous person, and we have confirmed that. It is also supposed to somehow enhance skill in battle, be unbreakable, and stay eternally razor sharp.”

  “I can tell it is razor sharp,” Mat said, “which is amazing since it has been underwater for 300 years. That certainly seems to validate that legend.”

  “Each piece of the armor,” Michael said, “has extraordinary properties that are designed to turn the wearer into an elite warrior and general. As we have seen in the sword’s case, its purpose is very specific. Only Mat can wield it, and it won’t harm a righteous man. Other pieces of the armor bless the wearer with knowledge and wisdom. Simply put, when all the pieces of the Armor of God are reassembled, it will turn the wearer into a righteous warrior called to deliver the wrath of God. It is a sacred, yet terrible, duty you have been tasked with.”

  As Michael’s words sunk in, the group became a little less excited. Everybody was still in a good mood because of their success, but the realization that a lot of responsibility went along with the power of the armor did have a sobering effect.

  “Ok,” Michael said, “that’s enough serious talk for tonight. We successfully completed the first part of a difficult quest, and it’s time to celebrate! For tonight, there will be no more worries. We are going to enjoy the delicious meal Persephonie has provided for us then get a good night’s sleep with no pressure to get started searching again in the morning. We can figure out our next move tomorrow.”

  The group did their best to forget about their concerns and enjoy dinner. It was a tasty dinner, and Michael tried to keep everybody’s mind off future possibilities by telling stories about his time at the monastery. Persephonie added a story or two about her Druid experiences, and Mat told a couple hunting tales. After a few stories, everyone seemed to relax and enjoy each other’s company. They talked late into the night, and by the time they stopped talking it was approaching midnight.

  While Mat and Michael went off to sleep, Persephonie checked the perimeter of the camp and settled in for the first watch. Finding the sword erased any doubts she had about whether she made the right choice by pursuing this quest. She was now whole-heartedly committed to the quest for the Armor of God and was glad she was. She didn’t know what her role would be yet, but she was going to do whatever was needed to do to protect Mat, help reassemble the armor, and ultimately save the Kingdom. While she would not wear the armor or wield the weapons, she felt her duty was sacred as well, and she was determined not to fail in her duty.

  Chapter 15

  After getting a little more sleep than usual, the group packed up and headed for Port Ludenberg. It was too far away to make it in a single day but easily reachable in two days, so they took their time as they traveled.

  The next piece of armor they would search for was the Helmet of Salvation. It was rumored to be in the western mountains of the Great Divide. Nobody in the group had traveled that area, so they needed to get more information. Mat knew that his Gitano friends were planning to go to Port Ludenberg, and he hoped that they would be able to help.

  That first day of travel was very enjoyable for both Mat and Persephonie. It was a sunny winter day and they spent most of the day talking about their lives growin
g up. For him, it was wonderful to have someone close to his own age to talk to who was not interested in using him for political advantage. For her, it was really nice to have companionship after basically being on her own for the last year. It was even nicer to finally get to know the young man at the center of the prophecies she had been studying for the last three years.

  “So what can you tell me about being a Druid?” Mat asked when Persephonie told him about joining the order when she was 12.

  “Well, there is much more to it than I can describe right now,” she replied, “but there are two main things about Druids you should know. First, we are dedicated to gathering and preserving knowledge. Our library is believed to be the most complete collection of knowledge in the world, and we are constantly traveling the world to gather more. I haven’t really focused on anything other than Solandeus and the prophecies around the Armor of God, so I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you that the world is much larger than the any of the maps you have probably seen.”

  “There is a map back home that shows both the Great Northern Kingdom and Solandeus,” Mat said. “It shows that our neighbor to the north is at least 20 times larger than Solandeus, and we are surrounded by water on all sides. I have heard of other lands, but have not seen any maps. My brothers probably studied them, but I didn’t.”

  “The Great Northern Kingdom is actually small compared to some of the other lands,” she said. “The combined area of Solandeus and the Great Northern Kingdom is called a continent. There are 10 total continents that I know of, and we are on one of the smaller continents. Other than seeing the maps, I really don’t know much else about these other lands.”

  “I would love to learn more about these lands,” Mat said. “Maybe you can show me these maps someday.”

  “If I am ever let back into the Druid Archives, I can show you,” Persephonie replied.