by Oxford, Rain
The god was interrupted by the arrival of another god. As often as he had spoken to me, I never saw him with an image; Erono fiercely reminded me that he was a god and I did not have the right to such an accommodation. Erono felt that having a mortal image made him look less powerful.
He was wrong. Erono, who stood before me, may have looked like a man, slightly older than me with short black hair, an angular face, and a size fairly bigger than my own, but he emitted an aura like no other. Fortunately, it wasn’t me he was glaring at.
“Azenoth, how dare you judge my servant? He is mine to punish if I will it.”
“He was hiding on my world,” Azenoth argued.
“Only because you were too blind to discover him. You will never assume to judge another servant again who is not your own.”
On the echo of those threatening words, my virtual reality crumbled to reveal myself lying on the ground in front of my cabin. I sat up and looked around in shock. Not only had Erono saved me, but he returned me home unharmed.
Chapter 10
Mordon
Dylan was gaining power too fast. When the demon attacked, I could see that he lost control of it. He could do anything he wanted with magic, but if he couldn’t control it, it would kill him. The one thing I could control above all else was my fire; so that was what I used. I pushed all of my control and will into him with my fire, and instantly felt his magic take to it. My fire was much more structured than either nominal or physical energy.
Even as Dylan collapsed, I could feel and see him draw the wayward energy back in to avoid further damage. I gently took Sammy from him and watch for signs of heart failure in my friend. I wasn’t a healer like he was. He looked up at us just before passing out and I thought that was the sign that he was in the clear.
I was wrong.
As soon as his eyes closed, his heart rate dropped, and the bracelet he wore started flashing and chirping. Sammy wiggled around to touch Dylan but I held him back. With my eyes this way, I could see shapes as dull, blurry objects and colors were completely washed out. However, I could see people as their auras glow bright and colorful. What each color meant, I wasn’t sure, but I could smell their intentions. I could also see energy as light particles in space, objects, and people. Nominal energy was blue, physical energy was whitish-yellow, and Dylan’s god energy was green.
Therefore, I could see that the god energy which Dylan filled Sammy with to protect him against possession was still in him. I worried what would happen if the baby touched Dylan and the energy flowed back into my friend.
When Dylan’s heartbeat slowed even further, I had to sit back. Sammy struggled so hard that I couldn’t even perform basic medical assistance. What I really wanted to do was burn down that ice wall and get him medical attention, but Sammy was going wild and I wouldn’t risk burning him.
Sammy’s teeth digging into my hand startled me into letting him go. In an instant, he had his tiny hands over Dylan’s heart and Dylan’s energy returned to him. “Heal!” the child screamed. “Heal!” The third time he screamed it, Dylan’s eyes snapped open and his heart sped up. His bracelet sparked and ceased chirping.
“Very impressive,” a new voice startled the sudden silence. We all looked to see a man watching us calmly. “I thought I would be needed, but you three managed that demon all on your own.”
The man was speaking fluent Sudo with a foreign accent. He was built just like Kiro, with the same height and weight. His shirt and pants were made of a simple black material that stretched across his chest, but was slightly loose everywhere else. Around his waist was a tight, thin chain attaching a small bag at his side.
“How did you get in here?” I asked as Dylan sat up and pulled Sammy into his lap. Sammy stared at the stranger suspiciously, ready to defend Dylan again.
“Should you not be asking who I am? That is more important.”
“You are Emrys,” Dylan said.
The man’s eyes widened. “You do surprise. How do you know?”
“You’re a Guardian, I can sense that. Also, both Nano and Shiloh were looking for you because they said you can help us.”
“Well, you have made the correct deduction; I am Emrys, Guardian of Malta.” He reached out for something on the ground and it shot into his hand. “I believe this was for you.” He held it out to Dylan, who took it hesitantly.
He frowned and showed it to me. It was a playing card, but instead of a face or number, there was a picture of a red object. “It’s an apple. A fruit on Earth.”
I took the card. On its smooth surface I could smell Emrys and Dylan, since they touched it, but I could also smell Kiro and something else. Something horrible. “It’s from Kiro, but there is something else on this card.”
“It is death that you smell,” Emrys said. I opened my mouth to argue, but he raised his hand to stop me. I hated when people did that; however, we needed his help right now. “Not the rot or decay found on the dead, but death itself.”
“How can death have a scent?” Dylan asked.
“Everything has a scent. I would like you to meet Madus, god of Malta. I assure you if you win his favor, he will be an excellent ally. He is reasonable and his word holds value with the other gods.”
“Dylan needs to rest before that,” I insisted. Even though his heartbeat was now strong, he looked dead on his feet.
“I’m perfectly fine,” Dylan argued. He stood up, slipped the card into the baby bag, and held his hand out for Emrys to shake. “Nice to meet you. I’m Dylan Yatunus.”
Emrys touched Dylan’s hand and in the space of a blink, we were in a field. The grass was to my calf and there were several small patches of purple and blue flowers. The god who stood in before us could never be confused with a person, as he radiated power that dwarfed Dylan’s.
Madus had a similar aura to Enki, with a little less of wisdom and a little more youth. He had medium, shoulder-length hair and hazel eyes. His bone structure was like Enki’s, but he had a healthier build.
Dylan said something with a friendly smile.
I was confused as to why the bracelet didn’t translate his words. For an instant, I thought I saw Sammy’s eyes glow a little bit. I must have been mistaken.
“I’m afraid that is the extent of my Enochian vocabulary,” Dylan said in English.
“It is impressive that you made the effort to learn,” the god said. “I heard stories about you. Normally, I would have observed you myself, but your goddess is very protective of you. I could have watched you despite this, but I respect my sister’s decisions. She does trust you, and I have never known her to act irresponsibly. Therefore, I only have stories to go on.”
“Well, I can add a story for you,” Emrys said. “When I arrived to bring them to you, they were in the process of battling the ancient beast. You were uncertain of Tiamat’s decision to send them, but I found your concerns invalid today. Dylan used the power of the Iadnah and the mortal power together with dragon fire.”
“Dragon fire?” the god asked.
“That was Mordon’s,” Dylan said.
“Dylan had also used his Iadnah magic to create a protective barrier on the child, which the child then used to heal Dylan from the energy backlash.”
“That sounds very interesting, but I can see why my siblings feel you are a threat. In fact, I think the efficiency in which you work together would bother them.”
“So you won’t side with us?” Dylan asked. Sammy squirmed around to shoot the god a glare, then buried his face against Dylan’s shoulder as if he realized what he had done. The god just laughed.
“I see no reason not to. You forget how powerful the Iadnah are, I think. I can see your entire life in the time it takes you to blink. I cannot see every decision you will ever make, but I can see what kind of person you are. Your previous choices stand to your defense as well. And most importantly, Enki vouches for you. The reason the Iadnah are so suspicious of you is that we did not create you. We created the Noquodi to have enou
gh power to do their purpose, but not enough to be a threat to us.
“Unfortunately for you, you have the same power we have. While you do not have enough to overthrow us yet, the power of the Iadnah is infinite. The Iadnah are not afraid of you as you are now, but of the potential you have. Unfortunately for us, my brothers do not understand that they are the ones creating the threat they fear. Tiamat gave you to your uncle to teach you and he became your family. Now my brothers are trying to take him away from you, what else can they expect but for you to fight back? They never realized that they were the ones to alienate Vretial, and they did so because they feared his superior power and his eccentricity. Then you prove that you could defeat him when they could not.”
“But it was Tiamat who killed him.”
“Tiamat had a choice to sacrifice herself to destroy him, or weaken him and put herself at less risk. She made a mistake, and Earth would have died with her, but you used your Iadnah power to help her. You pleaded with the souls of the worlds and they responded without their Iadnah’s control. You have the potential to become a threat, but I believe you would never betray your allies; therefore, I would rather be your ally than your enemy. I will gladly offer assistance when you need it.”
Another win. Dylan is too nice a person for even the gods to distrust him once they meet him. Madus looked at me and I knew he heard my thoughts. He gave me a knowing smile. “I have a question,” I said. “Our original mission was to get Sammy off Earth so that the demon couldn’t possess him, but when we got to Dios, the demon was able to come after us.”
“That is because the fabric of the universe is unraveling. Your new mission is to fix it.”
“But when we were on Earth, the demon tried to possess me and couldn’t. I assumed it was because I traveled. Does that mean that the demon can possess me now?”
“Actually, it can, but your dragon would have something to say about it.”
“My dragon? What dragon? And what would a dragon have to do with me being possessed?” I asked. I wondered if he meant Blood.
Madus’s smirk was a little irritating. “That is a question for your father.”
It occurred to me that my father and Blood could have something to do with each other, but my father hated dragons and said they were myth. He said princes were never to have such delusions. “I have instructions to never talk to him.”
“That is your choice. Either way, both of you must rely on your internal strength to defend yourselves and protect each other.”
Sammy interrupted loudly with what almost sounded like baby garble, but the syllables were too clear. It certainly wasn’t English or any of Duran’s languages.
Madus looked at Sammy with an immensely surprised expression. “What a remarkable little child.” He looked as Dylan. “You should be careful what you say and do around him; he will learn quickly.”
Emrys pulled his book out of his bag, as well as one of those odd writing utensils that wrote with no ink or graphite. He handed it to Dylan, who signed his name in Sudo and handed it to me. I signed my name right under Dylan’s. I ignored the irritating cold patch on my arm even as a symbol appeared in my mind, similar to the ones for Earth, Dios, and Vaigda. “What about Sammy?” I asked.
“I will take care of it,” Emrys said, taking the book from me, and then disappeared. Before I could ask where he went, he was back. “The mother signed it,” he said, opening the book to show Sammy’s signature underneath mine.
“You went to see Vivian and she didn’t demand her baby? She just signed his name when she didn’t know where he is? I highly doubt that,” Dylan argued.
“She did know where he was at the time. At this point in time, she is unable to sign the book, so I went to her at a time that she could and would.” Emrys sounded like time-travel was the only reasonable and logical conclusion.
“Why didn’t you go to a point in time where he was old enough to sign his own name?” I asked.
“Because the more time you travel that has not yet occurred in your perception, the more decisions have been made and the more likely you are to do damage.”
“Is there a world called Gallifrey? Because if there is, it would really explain you Guardians. But then my father would still be alive…” Dylan said. I sighed, hoping he wouldn’t get into it.
There was no warning before everything went black. When light came back to the world, we were standing in the middle of a shallow creek in a forest. Besides Dylan, Sammy, and myself, Shiloh and Emrys were here.
The first thing I noticed was that the gravity was too heavy and the air was thick and wet. Sammy started coughing, which caused Dylan to nearly drop him. In attempt to get a better grip on the baby, Dylan ended up slipping and falling into the water, barely keeping Sammy out of it. I took Sammy and held out my other hand to help Dylan up. Soaked to his chest, he started shivering.
I let my fire wash over him, not hot enough to burn but to mostly dry his clothes. He acted like he trusted me explicitly and made no move to panic or put out the fire. Instead, he looked a little annoyed.
“Thanks, but a warning is nice before you set someone on fire.”
“Sorry. Next time I set you on fire, I will remember to shoot you a warning.”
“How were they received?” Shiloh asked Emrys.
“Very well. Madus will protect them on Malta and stand for them to the other gods. As Dylan has had little chance to explore the worlds, I suggest that we give them a tour. Dylan can do his healing during this.”
“Yes, but quickly. He should be familiar with every world, but he needs to heal other planets before the wounds spread further.”
“He can stay here and heal astrophysically.”
“Absolutely not. It causes more mental strain and the world could feel threatened. He would create a much better bond with the magic if he visits the world to heal it.”
“And he can be put in danger that way,” Emrys argued. “Many of the gods will find it a threat if he arrives on their world without their permission, and some will attack him on sight without proper introduction.”
Dylan huffed. “Nobody’s going to ask me what I want to do?” he asked.
Shiloh was about to answer, but I beat him to it. “That’s right,” I said. “There’s no way Dylan is going anywhere if he can heal the worlds from here, where he’s safe.” As I spoke, Sammy reached down and into the baby bag. I figured he was trying to get the stuffed dragon Shiloh gave him.
Dylan started to argue, but was cut off as Sammy threw a plastic wet-nap box at him. “Bad Dada!” he yelled at Dylan.
Dylan narrowed his eyes. “Did your kid just reprimand me?” I knew he wasn’t really angry because he called Sammy my kid and because I smelled no anger. Dylan often covered surprise with sarcasm.
“He takes after his daddy; no common sense whatsoever,” I responded, using his own lines.
“Well, he learned to hit from his mommy.”
“Apple!” the baby interrupted. Everyone stared at him until he hid his face in my shoulder. I could feel he was upset.
Dylan handed me the box of wipes to put back in the bag. “We’re not fighting, honey, we were just playing,” he said to Sammy. Sammy didn’t lift his head, but rolled it until he could look up hesitantly.
Shiloh and Emrys must not have gotten the message that Sammy did not like yelling, because they started arguing in another language, obviously about Dylan. I felt the disturbance in the energy around Sammy an instant before both Shiloh and Emrys went flying. They landed with twin grunts a ways down the stream.
“Good throw!” Dylan encouraged. Shiloh didn’t look very happy of Dylan’s praise as he wiped water from his face and climbed to his feet. Emrys was a little slower to get up, but I felt no irritation from him.
“What a wonderful child; so violent,” Emrys said.
Argument shelved for now, we followed Emrys through the forest. Shiloh seemed rather distracted and mumbled about needing to get back to his world.
“O
h, enjoy this as a vacation, Shiloh,” Emrys said when he had heard enough.
“This is not a vacation.”
“Why not? Enjoy life as you can.”
“You enjoy life too much. You should focus more. The others call you frivolous,” Shiloh argued.
Dylan rolled his eyes.
Emrys looked deep in thought, then smiled. “I like that. It is much better than ‘boring,’ or ‘old.’ I would like to always be known as frivolous. When I am too old to act childish, then I think I should retire.”
“Noquodi do not retire!” Shiloh demanded.
“Old and boring men do. Dylan, have you decided to join the council that Shiloh wants to create?” he asked.
Dylan shrugged. “I guess I probably will.”
“Great,” he said with delight. “You will run the council, and then when we Guardians become old and boring men, you can retire us.”
“I agree with you, but I don’t want to be in charge. Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional. Being in charge requires growing up. There is still a lot of exploring to do before I pick a plot to settle down in,” Dylan said.
I caught Shiloh’s eye and knew he was thinking the same thing as me. “Do all Guardians have an immortality complex?” I asked.
“No, not all of us,” Emrys answered for him. “Just those of us who lacked a nurturing childhood.”
“Emrys and I grew up in the same village,” Shiloh explained. “The monks who raised us also taught other children, but we were the only Guardians, so we were different. We were much more powerful than the others, and dangerous to them. The monks made us train all day and work at night until we fell asleep exhausted. There was no time to play or be creative. They were not actually told which of us were from Malta and which was from Vaigda. I developed a love for technology and magic, and Emrys focused everything around nature and spirit, so they figured it out and sent us to our worlds when we were fully trained.”
“It is Vaigdan nature to create more than you were given. The people of Malta make the most of what we are given and are thankful for it.”
