The Ascension Trilogy

by David S Croxford

  A strange warmth ran through his body though he could not remember what happened only that the girl screamed under him. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious but by the time he awoke the girl was gone and the only sounds in the forest were the men calling out his name.

  The first he had known of the transformation was when his men cried in alarm and a small axe flew his way lodging itself into the wall of the hut. He had shouted at his men for attacking him with an alien voice, it was then that he noticed his hands, long fingers ending in a sharp claw-like nail held the hilt of his sword and the skin glinted in the sunlight that broke through the canopy of branches.

  Since that day he had been running, from once wetting his blade in the blood of the ascended he now vowed to protect them.

  His mind returned to the present as they moved deeper into the city. The choking smells and busy streets unnerved Mavok, the once proud warrior now jumped at the shadows, expecting to be attacked for what he had become.

  "Look at that tower," said someone behind him. He turned to look where a young ascended was pointing. Reaching beyond anything else around it stood the tower of the philosophers. A building still in construction it was said that the philosophers were attempting to reach the sky and beyond. The group had seen it as they approached the city, it had looked big then and now it seemed to be a monster, dominating the view.

  Mavok was certain now that they were lost, the directions had not mentioned the tower and he was just about to call it off and leave the city when he spotted someone sneaking through the shadows nearby, avoiding any groups of people. He had thought nothing about this person at first until he noticed a hand that sparkled in the torchlight. Another ascended.

  The person began to walk away from them and Mavok ushered the group to follow. They stayed close, weaving their way through the maze of streets and deeper into city finally coming to a stop outside a small building and in the shadows they waited.

  A door opened and the figure disappeared.

  "Is it the safe house?" the same ascended asked

  "I don't know," Mavok replied, trying to recall her name. He decided that they should wait and watch to see if anyone else approached the house.

  After an hour had passed and no-one had approached the door, Mavok walked slowly to the door, knocked on it and listened to a lot of movement. Eventually the door opened and an old man stood there, his hair was multi-coloured and his eyes showed the first signs of blindness.

  "Who is it?" the man asked Mavok, he then looked passed at the group behind him.

  Mavok pulled down his hood and the old man's eyes went wide with surprise.

  "A friend," said Mavok.

  chapter three

  Rinne awoke with a start, dark had fallen and the candles in her room burned low. She could hear voices that were not familiar and her hand went straight to the dagger concealed under the pillow. Never used, the blade was clean and smooth but gave her some measure of protection.

  Moving softly off of the bed to the door, Rinne strained her ears trying to hear what was being said but the noises from outside made it hard so she began to creep down the stairs clenching the dagger tightly.

  The heat grew as Rinne descended and light from the fires that Father kept going constantly illuminated the staircase. The noise of chatter increased and she could now distinguish several voices, one of them being Father. Her head poked around the corner, then her heart began to beat quicker. The main room was filled with people crowding around the fires eat food and drinking, it had not dawned on her at first, but then she noticed that they were all ascended and one was looking her way intently.

  Her presence had been noticed now and the room fell silent, the older ascended man that lived with Father approached her.

  "Rinne, this is the ascended that we spoke about earlier" said Jon excitedly. He pointed to the tall man that had been staring at her.

  "The one that claims to have come from the path of strength," said Rinne. "The same one that also says that there is a community that does not follow the paths"

  "You are correct," said the man. He stood, towering over the others. His skin glimmered in the firelight and one of his hands rested on a sword. "My name is Mavok and I am here to offer you all a chance to join us"

  "And why would we want to join you?" Rinne asked as she moved over to where Father was sitting.

  "It is not safe being an ascended. We are hunted or put to work as slaves to the humans. Our only hope is to come together and live quietly, away from the humans that despise us" replied Mavok.

  "We have been doing fine here," said Rinne.

  "Hiding in the shadows, avoiding people and wasting your abilities?" asked Mavok.

  "Come on Rinne," said Jon the younger ascended, he already put a cloak on. "They have been talking about Unity and it sounds beautiful"

  Rinne turned back to Mavok.

  "How can you be so sure about this place?"

  Mavok sighed and took his hand off of the sword then ran it through his hair.

  "Because I have been there. A long time ago I was sent on a mission to scout out new stock. We travelled far and came across a small village that was built alongside a lake surrounded by hills. We were tired and hungry. I decided that my men and I should take shelter, it was unlikely that a remote place like that would have what we were looking for."

  Mavok sat down again.

  "They told us who they were and then introduced us to the free ascended. Our orders are clear and we acted."

  "So you killed them!" Rinne accused.

  "We tried, but I only had several men and we were quickly outnumbered. They told us that the ascended would not be harmed and they let us go," said Mavok.

  "Just like that?" Rinne asked.

  Mavok shrugged.

  "Violence was not their way," he said "A few of my men even chose to stay there, a weakness in their will as warriors"

  "And so the path of strength just let them live?" Rinne was not convinced that she was hearing the truth. "Surely you would have taken more men back to destroy them"

  "I...," Mavok struggled to answer her, he seemed conflicted about something which just reinforced Rinne's suspicion.

  "It is of no matter, how can you be sure that they are still there or would even take us in?" Rinne said, feeling her anger rising.

  "It will be the chance we must take, living in these conditions is not right for anyone," replied Mavok calmly.

  Rinne had heard enough, this man was not convincing her and their presence in the house was endangering them all. Without another word she turned and ignoring her name being called; walked up the stairs back into the solitude of her room.

  It was dark now that night had fully descended, Rinne moved around easily despite the lack of candlelight. One of the perks to ascension was the ability to see in the dark, but that did not mean she was fond of the darkness. Moving to her table, she pulled out a new candle from the drawer then felt inside herself, using her will to guide the power that she harnessed, the wick lit and the room was instantly illuminated.

  The voices downstairs continued for some hours as Rinne lay on her bed. The thoughts had been rolling around inside of her head. With a small voice urging her to go with them to this so-called freedom, but the logical side of her won over. They would never be accepted by the humans and a life hidden away was better than losing it on a fool's quest.

  Mavok intrigued her, this ascended who claimed to be a warrior from the path of strength with only a sword as credentials. What was just as strange was the man's reluctance to talk about his encounter with these free ascended. Everyone had secrets, but this one made Rinne feel nervous. How could she trust him if he was not going to be honest with them and what if this person is working for the humans, befriending ascended and leading them all to their deaths.

  Her eyes grew heavy and she decided to get some sleep. Her dreams were filled with Mavok and his sword plunging deep into her body. Rinne awoke screaming, sweat beaded on her
forehead and she wiped it feeling the small scales on her face.

  chapter four

  Mavok regarded the girl as she stormed back up the stairs. Full of fire and distrustful of everyone around her. It was a shame that they did not have longer to persuade her, but every moment they spent in the city furthered the chance that they would be caught. One lone ascended could pass off as a servant or slave, but a group would cause mayhem.

  The three others they had found were more than willing to join them, bringing the number in their group to twenty-three. A number that will be hard to keep hidden and their supplies would run dry quickly.

  "When do you leave?" asked the old human that called himself Father.

  "We best leave soon, before the dawn breaks. Darkness is our ally and protects us until we are clear of the city"

  Father walked to the ascended he had been sheltering. They looked sad about leaving, it was strange to see a human so concerned about their lives and safety. Who this old man was would be another question left unanswered.

  They were all tired but had to get out of the city, Mavok wanted to save them all and knew there would be more hiding in the city, but it could not be done in one trip.

  "Where will you head?" Father asked.

  "To the north and through the forests. That is all I will say," replied Mavok "For your protection as much as ours"

  "I understand, here take this"

  The old man handed Mavok a small pack. Upon inspection, he found it full of food and a small pouch the jingled with metal"

  "It is all I have, so use it wisely and keep them safe"

  Mavok nodded.

  The younger ascended approached Father and pulled at his clothes to get attention.

  "Father, is Rinne coming with us?"

  "Sorry little one, Rinne needs to stay here and help with others of your kind," replied Father.

  "So you are not coming either?" he asked. Everyone's attention was on the exchange.

  "You are welcome to join us though the trek will be hard"

  Father shook his head.

  "No, I would not survive such a journey and there are many more ascended that need shelter"

  "Will we ever see you again?" the boy asked, tears beginning to run down his face.

  "Let's go," said Mavok, not wanting to draw this out any longer. He wanted all ascended to go with him, but would not force them to do so, the young boy would change his mind should he leave it any longer.

  The group began to pick up their meagre belongings and reattached their cloaks, with a final farewell to Father the group left the house, pulling hoods over their heads.

  As Mavok was leaving the old man pulled him back out of earshot from the group.

  "You must promise to keep them safe and get them to Unity"

  "I promise," said Mavok "What about the girl?"

  "She is much too strong minded for her own good, if she changes her mind in time I will send her on, the choice will have to be hers"

  "It will take several days to pass through the forests, but it will not be safe for her to travel alone"

  Father nodded.

  "In time all of your people will be free to live their lives as equals," said the old man.

  "We can only hope for that to be true," Mavok sighed. Then left the house into the cold night air.

  The streets were dimly lit but still Mavok got the group to stick to the shadows as much as possible. With guidance from the new members to their group, they made it out of the city in good time, avoiding areas that were still busy despite the late hour.

  'This city never seems to sleep' thought Mavok.

  The buildings rose and receded with differing shapes and smells as chemicals burned all around them irritating Mavok's senses. He breathed a sigh of relief when the city ended and they reached the open farmland that fed the population.

  The faint hues of pink in the sky signalled that dawn was approaching, soon the field workers would begin their working day and the alarm would be raised should they be seen. The forest they were aiming for was not far and they made a quick run for the tree line, with one final look Mavok saw the tower rising high into the sky. His last thoughts were of Rinne.

  "Good luck Rinne, we will meet again soon," he said and they entered the safety of the forest, heading north for Unity.

  chapter five

  The room was dark once again and the house silent. She rolled off of the bed and crept down the stairs, avoiding any that creaked.

  The eerie silence unnerved Rinne further, the usual burning fire or chatter from the other ascended was missing, only the faint rumble of snoring coming from the chair that Father slept in.

  A clock that hung against the wall told Rinne that it was nearing dawn and the group would no doubt be far from the city by now. Sure that she had the right decision, she set about rebuilding the fire when the sound of a whistle came from outside, it was an odd noise for this time of day.

  The fire crackled to life, aided by her power and the room illuminated showing the covered bundle of Father, his snoring had stopped since the fire had come to life.

  "Oh Rinne, I must have dozed off," he said, coughing heavily.

  "It is fine, did they get away safely?" Rinne asked.

  Father nodded then stretched from the chair and groaned with pain. Rinne hurried over and helped him to his feet.

  "How is the pain?" she asked. Rinne was realising how old and feeble Father was becoming.

  "It is nothing, just the ravages of time," he replied with a smile. "There is life left in me yet"

  Rinne doubted it but kept her concerns to herself.

  "It's so quiet here now," she said.

  Father wandered over to a table, picked up the kettle and hung it over the fire.

  "More will come in time," he said to her.

  "And they will also go in search of this haven," said Rinne brusquely.

  Father looked her way and raised an eyebrow. "As should you"

  Rinne breathed a sigh but felt agitated by the suggestion. "It sounds too good to be true, the humans would never allow it. They hate us"

  Father cleared his throat. "If you have forgotten then it may alleviate your concerns to know that I am human"

  "You are different," said Rinne.

  "Does it make me less human or more ascended?" Father asked.

  Rinne looked down abashed. "No"

  Father collected two mugs and placed some powdered tea into both then filled them from the kettle. He passed one to Rinne.

  "Fear of the unknown is a powerful force that shapes many minds, it has started wars and destroyed civilisations. Though it does not drive everyone"

  "You are the only human I know of that would help me," said Rinne.

  "There are plenty of others and even so, do not let that cloud your mind entirely. In time, the ascended will be equals," said Father.

  She had heard Father speak these ways before yet they still failed to rest her concerns.

  Suddenly her ears picked up the sound of whistling again and the hair on the back of her neck stood up. A knock on the door caused Rinne to jump and call out in fright, she dropped the cup of tea and it smashed upon the floor. Father put down his cup and spoke quietly.

  "Quickly, into the wall and don't come out unless I get you"

  Rinne nodded quietly shuffling over to the false wall and moved it revealing a small space that held blankets and water. Enough to keep anyone hidden for several days if needed.

  Father moved to the door as Rinne pulled the wall back to conceal herself, sat down upon the floor and waited. Muffled voices filtered through the wall, Rinne strained to listen but couldn't make out what was being said.

  Her heart then skipped a beat as she heard the smash of glass then Father screamed out in pain. Rinne shook as more smashing could be heard until she could stand no more. Ripping the wall open as hard as possible she could see the room had been transformed into chaos.

  The house was full of men in armour, holding swords they
were breaking all of the jars and pots that they could get their hands upon. The entry of Rinne into the room took the closest by surprise, but they quickly regained their composure enough to challenge her and call for their commander.

  A large man waddled over to Rinne, he was both tall and wide causing his men to move out of the way to let him through.

  "So if you don't harbour ascended, what would you say this is?"

  The commander was addressing Father, Rinne looked around but couldn't see him until some movement on the floor caught her attention.

  "Leave her alone, she has done no harm," Father's voice shook and a thin line of blood trickled down from his mouth.

  "No harm?" the commander questioned "its existence is harmful"

  One of the soldiers kicked Father, a groan escaped his mouth as he rolled over in pain.

  "Leave him alone," Rinne shouted and pounced forwards trying to get to Father. Hands grabbed her arms and she was pulled back.

  "Rinne do not fight them," Father called out before receiving another blow to his side.

  Rinne screamed in anger and felt the power grow within her. She would unleash it all upon them.

  The last thing she saw was something large coming towards her a sharp pain exploded in her head and she fell.

  chapter six

  Morning broke as they went travelled deeper into the forest, Mavok breathed a sigh of relief knowing that there was some safety within the trees. Only the animals and those that followed the path of nature dwelt here and they would find little trouble from them. Even so he warned the group to stay as quiet as possible.

  Although the naturists had been civil enough with him, he had been quickly asked to leave the community of nature's bounty, taking the few ascended that had recently transformed. He was wise enough to not ask what they had done with those that had ascended in the past.

  Birds sung in the trees and unseen scurrying animals passed as they made their way through the forest heading north. Every hour, Mavok scaled a tree and checked their direction, seeing the philosopher's tower grow smaller, each time thinking of Rinne and hoping she was safe.