Wielder of the Flame

by Nikolas Rex

She found her way back to the kitchen and washed her hands again. Afterwards, she began to slowly take food from the pantry and line the counter that looked into the dining room with foodstuffs.

  “Please, take what you like, sit and eat.”

  Marc felt his stomach rumble and realized how hungry he was.

  He and the others took plates that Zania laid out, filled them with food, and stepped back into the dining room and sat down to eat.

  Zania got out more flour and began to knead the dough on the counter facing them.

  Tears were welling up in Zania’s eyes again.

  Marc was the first to notice, “Is—Is there something wrong?” he said, half standing from his place at the table.

  “No,” Zania replied, “No. Please do not mistake my tears for ones of sadness. I cry because I am happy.”

  “About what?” Marc replied stupidly.

  “I am happy that you are here, that you have come to stop The Archfiend.”

  “You know—” Laura said, “—about everything?”

  “I know about most of it,” Zania said.

  “How?” Zildjin asked.

  “My father, was one of the Ascendant Sages.”

  Everyone except Marc was surprised, and stopped eating.

  “Your Father?” Zildjin said with his mouth full.

  She nodded.

  “One of the Ascendant Sages?” Sesuadra added quietly.

  “He went mostly by his title, The Artificer. Tremos murdered him when I was only a child. He almost killed me too. The dark magic he used on me left me crippled and blind. The Keeper saved me, and brought me here many cycles ago. I finally regained the ability to walk but I will never again see with my eyes.”

  The Keeper. Marc thought. But the Oracle said that he had died bringing the map to her.

  Tears began to flow down her cheek again, “And Tremos killed him as well, not that long ago.”

  “Zania,” Marc said, standing up and going over to the bar, “I’m so sorry.”

  “You do not need to be sorry,” Zania said, wiping away her tears on her apron, “you were not the one who killed him, or my father, Tremos did. The Keeper sacrificed himself to bring the Oracle the map, and she sent Cydas to give you the map and bring you all here, and now, here you are.”

  “Yes,” Marc agreed, “We finally made it.”

  “You have to stop him,” Zania said in a way that was both firm and also a plea, “My father told me that deep down inside Tremos is nothing more than a man, a weak, power-hungry man. Even with all his dark magic and his hordes of armies you can stop him Marcus, you are the Wielder of the Flame you have to.”

  In that moment Marc felt the immense rush of energy and power that he had felt in his vision of the Fae Ones. A strong desire to right wrongs, conquer evil, and bring Tremos to justice welled up once more inside him.

  “I will,” Marc said, then turning to everyone, he said, “We all will.”

  ***

  His own words echoed in his head as he lay in bed staring up through the darkness at the wooden beamed ceiling.

  After they finished their meal they took turns separately occupying the bathing room, scrubbing down and getting clean. Marc had been tempted to play the same trick on Laura that she and Aliyana had played on him, barging in on her while she bathed, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Even though, of course, a part of him wouldn’t mind, the other part would be embarrassed to see Laura naked, especially in that way, a sort of cheat way. He wanted that moment to be special. He knew it was odd but he didn’t mind so much that she had pranked him. After so much training and fitness he had become quite confident in his own figure. He was glad he hadn’t anyway, after he learned that Zania and Laura had shared a bath.

  Sesuadra lay on a bed against the far wall. Zildjin was sharing Cydas’s bedroom with him across the hall and Puck and Drake were in the room approximate them. Laura and Zania were sharing a room on the other side of the house, across the main entrance hall with the old couple which Marc still had yet to learn their names, in a room together opposite Zania’s bedroom.

  The room was dark except for a sliver of light coming from the two planets in the night sky slipping in through the cracks in the shuttered window. Marc was tired and knew he should be sleeping to prepare to meet the Oracle the next day, but he just couldn’t seem to rest, his mind was busy thinking about everything Zania had said and about meeting the Oracle. The chilly night had made him put on long warm undergarments as pajamas.

  It was while he was thinking when the door to the room creaked quietly open.

  For a moment Marc thought that Sesuadra had gotten up to relieve himself or something, but a quick glance over to the far side of the room revealed that Sesuadra was still asleep in his bed.

  Someone’s head peeked into the room.

  Marc sat up and tried to make out who it was.

  Then came a voice, soft and barely audible.

  “Marcus?”

  Marc didn’t know if he should answer, still trying to figure out who it was.

  The figure came into the room, quietly closing the door behind them.

  “Marcus?” again, slightly louder, but still very quiet.

  “Laura?” Marc finally recognized who it was.

  The dark figure who was Laura turned at Marc’s reply and walked over to his bed.

  “Laura, what are you doing here?” Marc whispered.

  “Sorry it took so long, Zania is an extremely light sleeper, I suppose because she cannot see her hearing has improved to make up for the lost sense.”

  “Laura,” Marc tried again, “What are you doing here?”

  “I wanted to see you,” she said.

  Marc glanced over at Sesuadra, his sleeping form was still in its same position on his bed.

  “I’m not alone in the room, Laura,” He gestured to Sesuadra in the other bed.

  “I know,” Laura said, “I will be quiet, I promise.”

  “Huh?”

  Suddenly he felt her knees and her weight on the bed next to him and she was leaning towards him. Her hands came up and then stopped on each of his cheeks, cupping his face.

  She was so close to him he could smell her scent, mixed with the fragrance of the fresh soap she had just used on her body earlier.

  Her body. He unwillingly thought.

  She leaned towards him in the darkness. Her face was inches from him. The moons’ light cast perfectly upon her face. She was beautiful beyond anything he had imagined, even more so than before.

  Her nose barely touched his and he felt an almost physical electric energy pulse through him at the contact. She parted her lips slightly and he did the same. Then Marc closed his eyes and Laura did the same, and they kissed. The energy burst throughout his whole soul as their lips intertwined. He could feel passion rising within him as the kiss continued for what felt like an eternity, a wonderful, joyful eternity.

  His hands began to move on their own, traveling slowly up her back and into her hair, massaging her neck and head.

  They broke the kiss for a moment.

  “Marcus,” Her voice was soft, “I love you,”

  He made a sound of agreement and went in for another kiss.

  She turned her head and he missed her lips, kissing her cheek instead.

  Then, suddenly, Laura was pulling away, scooting back on the bed.

  “Laura?” Marc whispered quietly, wondering if he had done something wrong.

  Sesuadra rustled in his bed and both Marc and Laura froze.

  By the moonlight, Marc could see Laura’s the half-upset/half-worried look on her face.

  “Laura?” Marc tried again.

  Laura looked away from Sesuadra’s still sleeping form.

  She replied in a series of fragmented quiet stutters, “I am sorry Marcus, I want to, I want to more than anything, I just—I have not been drinking the tea—you know, and I do not think that we even should—not right now, and Sesuadra is right over there, and we have yet to
even formally enter courtship—”

  Laura stood up.

  Marc didn’t want her to go.

  Marc was nodding though he was unsure if Laura could see it in the dark.

  “No, no, no, yes, of course,” Marc whispered back. “Its fine, I understand, I—I feel the same way. All is well.” He finished, not realizing he was using that colloquialism again.

  “I will see you at first light,” Laura said.

  “Tomorrow,” Marc nodded, letting go of her hand as she stood up, “goodnight.”

  Laura cracked the door open, slipped through, and shut it quietly behind her.

  He fell back onto his bed and realized what he had probably done wrong.

  Laura had said I love you. But he had not said it back.

  IDIOT! He chided himself. All you could do was grunt a sort of noncommittal yes to her.

  ‘I love you’, and she was expecting you to say I love you back! Idiot! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

  It was all he could think about until he fell finally asleep.

  Chapter Forty Five

  The Oracle

  The next morning, after everyone had eaten, the party was gathered together with Cydas in the main hall.

  Marc and Laura said nothing of the night’s events to anyone but they were sharing more glances and smiles with each other than before.

  Marc was glad she wasn’t upset about his lack of returning her I love you.

  Cydas led everyone to the center of the room. They just fit with a little room to spare. Laura stood next to Marc and put her arm around his, gripping his hand with a slight nervous squeeze.

  He looked at her and patted her hand.

  The old couple and Zania stood by to watch and listen.

  Cydas looked upward and said, “We have come to converse with the stars and understand the passings of the cycles and the meaning of all things.”

  Then he placed a small relic that hung around his neck into a slot on the floor in the center of the circle.

  For a moment nothing happened. Then a light began to creep through the surrounding circle of the middle of the room. It brightened, and suddenly Marc felt the floor beneath them begin to move. It was a sort of magical elevator, going down.

  The elevator moved slowly and Marc watched as the room above them moved away from them. The hole above them began to close with a shifting of grinding gears.

  Laura held on to Marc with a firmer grip.

  “It is alright,” Cydas said, seeing the slight discomfort everyone was showing, “We are not trapped down here. The opening is only closed for protection. As with all who fight for good, the Oracle, has many enemies.”

  The blue light on the platform lit up the now darkened shaft.

  They were surrounded by smooth stone wall for quite a time as they moved downwards.

  Finally they emerged into a hallway with bright magical light.

  Marc squinted at the contrast of the previously dark elevator shaft.

  The platform they were on stopped at ground level facing a long hall, allowing Cydas to step down, the others following after.

  Cydas led them to a set of large double doors carved out of stone inlaid with gold.

  “The Oracle, will meet with all of you first, in a more general way. Then she will see you each individually, for a focused and more physically and mentally intensive reading.” Cydas said, and then pushed open the doors.

  The illumination within the room seemed blinding, forcing Marc and the others to squint and hold their hands before their eyes until their vision adjusted.

  As Marc was finally able to see he put his hand down and took in his surroundings.

  The room was immediately familiar in shape. It was very similar to the room in the vision he had within the artifact Cydas had given him to converse with the Oracle, or a part of her.

  Small steps all led to the center of the room, which was the lowest point, like before, except this time there were no curtains, no beads, no books or artifacts or shelves. And there were no windows or even walls or ceiling. At the edges of the room a sort of magical fog separated them from whatever else was behind the fog and above them the ceiling rose up into a mind blowing infinite array of stars and cosmos. It was so impossibly vast to fit in an underground space like the one they descended in, truly a place of great and ancient magic. At the very center of the room a large shaft of light emitted from the ground rising up into the eternities. The light was mostly blue in color, but of variations of blue, and it moved and shifted, almost like water but not quite so.

  Inside the shaft of light was a female figure, seemingly naked, except for a figure forming dress about her of magical properties that moved and flowed as serpentine as the enchanted light around it. Her hair and skin and eyes were all blue, like the light surrounding her. It was hard to tell her exact age.

  Her eyes were closed before they came in but opened as they entered the room.

  Welcome, Marcus, Wielder of the Flame, and Laura, Zildjin, Sesuadra, Puck, and Drake, Advocates of the Flame.

  A female voice emanating from the figure entered their collective minds. Her soft kind voice had a distinct sound to it, almost human, and yet otherworldly.

  No one answered.

  All, except for Cydas, who had seen the room before, were completely awestruck at the scene before them. Even Marc, with his advanced understanding of his own solar system and the possibilities of space travel and what all that meant, was impressed by the sight. Laura gave Marc’s hand a squeeze looking up to the stars in absolute wonder.

  Please, come, and sit, I have been expecting you.

  The figure gestured at the empty space in front of her.

  I am, of course, The Oracle.

  Marc and the others descended the steps towards the Oracle.

  Cydas remained standing near the door.

  I am glad you have made it.

  “What do you mean, Advocates?” Puck asked.

  Sesuadra, you must know this.

  Sesuadra nodded. Zildjin rolled his eyes subtly.

  In the War of Power, all those who followed the Wielder of the Flame and fought for him believed in goodness and balance, and peace. They were called his Advocates. Those who proved themselves, the closest and most trusted of companions to the Wielder, were granted a higher title and were called Templars of the Flame, or Burning Templars. But enough of that.

  My name is Sylandria.

  Marc moved to sit on the ground. Instead of sitting on the hard tile floor, however, he felt himself resting on something soft, in a relaxed position. He looked down and saw the mist, like that of the walls, had appeared beneath him, and was supporting his weight.

  She kept pausing before she spoke, as if she was struggling to find the right words.

  Please forgive me. The complexity of my magic makes it difficult for me to communicate like I used to. I—forget words.

  “Used to?” Sesuadra asked, he also was leaning back on a soft bed of mist.

  The others had followed Marc’s lead and were similarly relaxing on the magical vapor.

  The Oracle did not immediately respond.

  I was not always the Oracle. I mean, The Oracle has always been here, but I, Slyandria, have not.

  ***

  Suddenly Marc was surrounded by darkness followed by a bright light.

  As the light receded Marc was able to make out new surroundings around him. Somehow he could tell he was in another vision. He could also feel a sort of quasi presence of everyone else around him, also participating in the vision. He could sense the Oracle was showing them the vision and that she was able to because they were so near her, the shaft of light and the room all playing a part in her magic.

  Bright light receded, leaving objects and things in its wake. Marc could make out a hand crafted table, chairs, wooden floor, a rug, walls, wooden beamed ceiling, an open door.

  Then two figures appeared in the vision.

  One was male, a young boy, fourteen or so.

 
It was a young Cydas.

  “Please!” young Cydas was saying, his face one of distress.

  Marc looked and saw the back of the second figure, a girl, young. She wore a simple yet elegant blue dress. Her hair was long and golden, done in a braid and decorated with beads and feathers. The girl turned. Her skin was smooth and sun touched. Simple and beautiful gold, blue, green, and red bracelets covered her arms and tinkled lightly as she turned to look at Cydas. She had green eyes like pools of liquid emerald oceans.

  “I must go, Cydas, I have the gift, I have been chosen.”

  Young Cydas crossed the room and got down on his knees.

  “Please,” He begged, “Sylandria—I love you.”

  Tears came to his eyes.

  She closed hers, trying to hold back the tears.

  “I know, Cydas, but I must go.”

  Marc’s vision was surrounded by bright light again which faded, revealing another scene.

  They were in the room they were in, but at a different time than the present. Young Sylandria was there, being led up to the shaft of light by a tall figure clothed in robes and a hood. It was a man, bearded and ancient looking.

  Those Cydas had greeted as Goodmother and Goodfather were there as well, though they were younger in appearance than when Marc had just met them. Goodmother was in the shaft of light, being helped down by Goodfather. When the woman came out of the shifting multi-hued blue light, she was no longer blue and her magically shifting dress disappeared, leaving her naked. The man put a long blanket over her, covering her and putting his arms around her. She looked exhausted but relieved, like the weight of a thousand worlds had been lifted from her shoulders.

  The robed man knelt down and looked at young Sylandria.

  “The time has come, are you ready?”

  She nodded.

  “I am ready.”

  Sylandria let her dress fall off of her and the robed man gave her a hand and helped her into the shaft of light. As she entered, the magically flowing dress surrounded her, hiding her nakedness.

  “So it is done.” The robed man said.

  ***

  Everything brightened and then faded, leaving Marc back to his present self and out of the vision. He glanced around and saw the others also looking around, a little bewildered.