by Mikayla Lane
“He was taking care of Jodi how?” David asked, trying to understand everything he could about his son and his wife.
“He worked around the campground for food and rent. Nothing taxing!” Rex snapped when he saw David’s disapproving gaze. “He’d walk people’s dogs or pick up fallen limbs and sell them for firewood.”
“Tiernan is a very proud boy, a lot like his father I think,” Kurt said with a nod at David. “He wouldn’t let anyone give him anything. Tiernan insisted on working for it. Other things he would trade for, like the cookbooks he used to learn to cook.”
Rex shook with laughter.
“We had some guys who were from out of town and working at a food plant in the area for a couple of months. The little man convinced them that his mom would cook their food and pack their lunches. He was a mini chef, leaving them brown bags of breakfast burritos and packed lunches outside of their RV’s in the morning and plastic containers of dinner when they got home,” Rex explained, still in awe of the boy’s ability to survive and adapt at such a young age.
“It sounds more like he was an emotional, physical and energy slave who has never had a moment of peace for himself,” David choked out, horrified at the life his son had endured.
“You need to port now,” Declan called out from the cockpit.
Mikal turned to the group with a stern look.
“What you will see can never be . . .” Mikal had begun before everyone was swept through a portal. Then another.
David blinked his eyes several times to make sure he was seeing correctly. It was the cursing of Kurt and Rex that made him realize things were not as they seemed and panic set in as he stared into the eerie blue eyes of the giant in front of them.
“Welcome to Dranar. Give me the boy.”
Chapter Six
The tingling running rampant through David’s body was a clear indication that something was seriously wrong with where they were, and he turned to Mikal with accusing eyes.
“Where the fuck are we? What have you done?” David growled.
“You are on Dranar, and you need to be lucky that you are. If you love your son, you will hand him to me now,” Alderic Du’ Castine, Sotier of the Tri-Worlds stated, unwilling to waste time when the child was in such a desperate condition.
When David only glared daggers at Mikal, Alderic shot a blue stream of energy and snatched the boy from David. Once Tiernan was settled in his arms Alderic began striding down the corridors until he reached the heart of the Talunaha where he laid the boy in front of a glowing rock.
“Sotier, the boy’s energy is . . .” the glowing rock spoke.
“I know, Xaratia Sitari, but we must do what we can,” Alderic interrupted, not wanting to scare the boy’s father.
“Someone better damn well tell me what the hell is going on!” Rex roared at the group.
“You shouldn’t be here. Therefore you will remain silent until you leave,” Alderic growled back, shooting several bolts of energy into Kurt and Rex until they fell to the floor unconscious.
“What have you done?” David asked Mikal in an accusing tone.
“He’s sent you to the only place where your son can be saved. Now be silent, or I’ll put you out next,” Alderic warned as he raised his hands around the child and closed his eyes.
Mikal could tell that David was ready to lose control and he placed his hands on his shoulders.
“Listen to me. You are on the most powerful Dranovian world, with the only person who can help your son. This is the only way to save his life. I swear that to you,” Mikal stated, allowing his fear and concern for the child to bleed from his energy.
David gasped when Alderic held his hands over Tiernan, and the boy began to glow with a blue light and rose from the floor. Golden sparks started to shoot through the deep blue color while weaker and duller silver crackled around the child.
“The lesser prime and the ancient are fighting my power,” Alderic growled, increasing the energy flow into the boy’s body to nullify the Prime abilities.
David watched in fear and awe as the blue, gold and silver energies raged around his son, the power snapping and crackling in a shower of sparks and clashing energy.
“Sotier!”
David turned as a large man, wearing a white tunic with a red triangle emblazoned across it ran into the room.
“What?” Alderic roared, maintaining his concentration on the child.
“Sir, we have every Prime on the Tri-worlds outside the Talunaha. They are demanding to help the ancient one in the boy,” Strafe explained, unable to stop staring at the child whose power radiated from him like a tsunami.
“Get them in here,” Alderic ordered as sweat began to pop out on his forehead.
David turned to Mikal, his eyes pleading for answers.
“You are not on Earth, but these are my people, and they will do everything to help him. Please trust me,” Mikal begged.
The air popped with conflicting energies that only intensified when a dozen men and women moved quickly into the room and headed directly to Tiernan.
“We must hurry,” one of the men stated as he held his hands out in front of him.
The other newcomers followed his lead until they surrounded Tiernan’s suspended body adding a layer of silver energy around Alderic’s blue. The addition of the Prime power seemed to calm Tiernan, and his energy stopped snapping and popping against Alderic’s.
“What’s happening?” David asked, hoping someone would answer and tell him if his son was all right.
“The anomaly is fighting while the ancient is using our power to keep the boy safe. The Sotier is trying to stop the brain death,” one of the women whispered quietly, never taking her eyes or energy from the small boy.
“Can you save him?” David whispered, praying they could.
Mikal put his hand on David’s shoulder and gave him a squeeze of encouragement as he watched the way Alderic was manipulating Tiernan’s energy. The motions were easy to follow, and Mikal was beginning to understand just what he and his brothers were actually capable of.
“If anyone can save him, they can,” Mikal assured David, shocked at the energy abilities being performed on the boy.
David watched the sweat pour down the face of the large man named Alderic and couldn’t help but wonder what they were doing to his son and if he could help.
“Can I help?” he whispered.
“No,” a Prime woman replied quickly.
“Your own energy is too confused and fearful. You will only make it more difficult,” Alderic growled out, fighting with everything he had for the innocent, but powerful child.
Minutes passed into hours, and David lost track of time as the group around his son became noticeably weaker, but none of them had been willing to give up on the boy.
“Sotier, there is nothing more you can do,” Xaratia Sitari stated, breaking the tense silence in the room.
David’s fear skyrocketed, and he turned to Mikal and Alderic, desperately hoping they wouldn’t stop. It was like an energy CPR, and he knew if they ceased their efforts, his son would die. David couldn’t live with that.
“You can’t stop,” David pleaded with them, his eyes looking at each of the exhausted people surrounding Tiernan’s limp body, still suspended in the air in front of the rock.
“Brother, help me now,” Mikal whispered to no one in particular.
“Please, don’t stop. Don’t let him die now.” David took a step towards the circle of people and his son. “He’s never had a chance to live. Or be a child. Please.”
Alderic’s eyes grew wide as he heard the shocking news being shouted through the shengari’ at him. He turned in time to see a massive winged warrior come striding through the portal across the large room.
“Tristan.” Mikal’s grateful sigh echoed and David nearly hit the floor as relief washed over him.
Tristan wasted no time getting to Tiernan, and he pulled the boy from his suspended state and into his arms, his w
ings gently cradling the lower half of the small child. The golden warrior smiled at Tiernan and shook his head.
“You have fought too long and too hard, my friend. What was lost will be returned to you, as I promised.” Tristan kissed Tiernan’s forehead and looked up.
The warrior watched as everyone but Alderic, David and Mikal moved away, and the room began to fill with winged warriors of all ages and genders. Each one stood in a circle around Tristan, Tiernan, David, Mikal, and Alderic. When they stopped coming in, they formed seven circles.
“What’s happening?” David whispered in awe.
He’d never seen so many light bringers in one place. Not even at Fiorn’s Folly.
The light bringers all clapped their hands on one another’s shoulders in unison. The loud sound echoed eerily around the room, but David had no time to ask what was happening as a white light shot out from the back row and moved forward. Each light bringer lit up with power until every row was glowing so brightly David had to shield his eyes from the glare.
Suddenly power shot from the back row and hit the group of warriors in the next where it was amplified with their own before being sent into the line in front of them. By the time it reached the closest group, David wasn’t sure any of them would survive being struck with the power. It snapped so loudly around them it sounded like they were in the middle of a war zone.
When the wave of energy finally rushed past him, David fell to the floor like a rock, and his body shook uncontrollably from the shocking intensity of the power. He cried out in fear for Tiernan, knowing the boy couldn’t survive something so strong.
David watched in helplessness as Tiernan’s body convulsed violently in Tristan’s arms as his wings gently held the small boy still. Tristan’s eyes glowed like white lasers as they focused solely on the child’s head, the light seemingly drilling into Tiernan’s skull.
The power abruptly blinked out of Tristan’s eyes, and each of the light bringers fell to their knees at once as if they’d lost their ability to stand. Tristan, his eyes back to normal, smiled down at the boy in his arms.
“I told you, I’d be here for you. I will see you soon, my friend, we have much to do,” Tristan whispered, a single tear running down his cheek as he kissed Tiernan’s forehead, healing the cut from where the pan had struck the boy.
David pulled himself to his feet and stood in awe of Tristan and the emotion he didn’t bother to hide from anyone.
“What is my son to you?” David whispered.
Tristan smiled boyishly and held Tiernan out to David. David wasted no time pulling his limp son to his chest and looking him over.
“He will become my tutor in the Terran realm, but more importantly, he is the balance to my light. We will do great things on the Terran world, and it will be because of his help.” Tristan’s eyes glowed for a moment as he looked at David. “His Night Walker abilities, coupled with the ancient Prime and the power of a relic will make him one of the deadliest beings on Terra and my equal. Protect him until he learns his abilities.”
David’s mind couldn’t even process what Tristan was trying to tell him. It was far too overwhelming to even consider when he didn’t even know if Tiernan would be all right.
“He’ll be OK?” David asked, needing that assurance before he tried to understand anything more complicated.
Tristan reached out a hand and brushed a lock of hair from Tiernan’s forehead.
“He will be all right, but he still needs something that only Alderic can provide,” Tristan said with a smile.
“Anything,” Alderic croaked out, still stunned at the power displayed by the remarkable beings. He’d never seen or felt anything like it before.
“On Daetz’ you have something called a Sundashi Flower. You use it as an herb in your local food dishes,” Tristan said and chuckled at the confusion on Alderic’s face.
“He needs food spices?” David asked, wondering if it was a joke.
“Actually, it is so much more than that,” Tristan assured the nervous father. “It can help reverse some of the brain damage left behind by a dying beast. The natural compounds in the leaves break down the enzymes a beast produces as it dies and flushes them from the body. In most cases, it can also stop the beast death. Given enough time, especially in one so young, the beast can survive and thrive.”
“How could we not have known that?” Alderic asked in shock.
“It is part of why the anomalous can remain here and control the progression of their illness. The flower is native to your worlds, and the planetary energy maximizes the benefits of the plant,” Tristan explained, stunning Alderic with the information.
“So Tiernan has to take this spice to get better? Does he need it forever?” David would beg for bushels of the stuff if it saved his son.
Tristan smiled and shook his head.
“No, it will not take anything so dramatic for Tiernan. He needs only a petal of it. We’ve stopped the beast death and healed it. The flower will only be necessary to remove the enzymes in the brain. Tiernan’s mind and beast will recover,” Tristan promised then turned to the glowing rock and bowed deeply.
“I apologize for invading your domain without your consent, Xaratia Sitari. I hope you will forgive my brethren and me for our rudeness,” Tristan said formally.
“Warrior of the Light, you and your kind are welcome in the domains of the Xaratia’s at any time. You need not ask permission as it is our honor to host you. Please allow me to help your brethren,” Sitari replied, the rock pulsing with light in sync with the words.
“We’d be honored.” Tristan bowed as the rock shot out a wave of blue light that went through the light bringers and immediately rejuvenated them.
Each stood and bowed to Tristan and Alderic before spreading their wings and blinking out in a flash of white light.
“Where did they come from?” Alderic asked as the last disappeared.
“Some were close by on other worlds, others are from Terra and command nearby realms, they manifested themselves here to help,” Tristan explained.
“When will he wake up?” David asked, staring at his still unconscious son. “Will he remember everything?”
Tristan looked sad for a moment before he responded.
“He will remember but how you and his mother raise him from this day forward will shape the incredible man that he will become. The past is a pointless and empty place to live in, and he won’t stay in it. Do the same. Forget the past and forge your future or you will lose your chance at happiness,” Tristan said cryptically.
David was a little stunned to hear his son’s own words come from Tristan’s mouth.
“How is it possible you know what he will become and who he is? You know the future?” David asked.
Tristan had laughed for a moment before he turned a serious gaze to David.
“I know many things but what is important is what you need to know. Give Tiernan the flower petal, take him home and let Indrid’s people heal his mother and balance his Night Walker energy. Then love him and be a father. It will be everything he needs to heal the rest,” Tristan explained, caressed Tiernan’s cheek then disappeared through the portal without another word.
“Who the hell is this kid?” Alderic wondered aloud as he looked at the unconscious boy in David’s arms in shock.
“My son. That’s all I care about,” David replied without hesitation. He’d deal with the rest later. “Is there a way to get that flower?”
“Of course.” Alderic had already sent word for the flowers to be delivered and for his medical centers to begin testing on the plant and its properties.
“Dad?”
David’s heart constricted so hard at that one word he couldn’t speak for a moment as he looked into the tired eyes of his son.
My son, David thought, clearing his throat to get rid of the lump in it.
“It’s going to be OK,” David croaked out. “You’re going to be all right now.”
David watched his son
turn curious eyes to Alderic.
“You’re a Guardian too,” Tiernan whispered with a smile.
Alderic was stunned for a moment before he realized the boy couldn’t possibly know about the Rituals of Tongerno and the ancient power he commanded.
“Yes, I am. What are you Guardian of?” Alderic asked gently, placating the weak child.
Tiernan’s eyes glowed a golden color on the outside while a fathomless darkness consumed the middle. It looked like he had swirling black holes for eyes. David had never seen anything like it before and was stunned.
“The Dark Realms, the Prime, ancient ones, and the entirety of the beast species on Terra. Thank you for saving me so I can continue,” Tiernan whispered weakly before he passed out in David’s arms.
“What the fuck?” Mikal murmured, wondering why the hell Tristan had mentioned none of that.
“It can’t be,” Alderic muttered, shaking his head in denial at his own thoughts.
“What the hell did any of that mean?” David growled out, wondering who would lay all that on a small boy.
“Let me?” Alderic asked as he reached out for Tiernan.
David looked at his son a moment before he handed the boy to Alderic. The Sotier immediately lay Tiernan back on the floor in front of the rock and pulled up his long sleeved shirt. David was going to protest when he sucked in his breath at what he saw.
Mikal cursed and watched in silent fury as the tattoo-like burns were revealed with each item of clothing Alderic removed. David dropped to his knees and reached out a hand to stroke one of the strange markings on his son and shook his head as tears streamed down his face.
“What happened to him?” David whispered, wondering if Jodi had branded the boy’s entire body.
The only places devoid of the burned symbols were Tiernan’s groin, buttocks and above his neck. It was like strange hieroglyphics were burned into the boy’s skin randomly.
“He’s the Dark Warrior and Guardian of a Relic of Grascad. He is to the dark what Tristan is to the light. It is no wonder they become friends,” Alderic explained as pity for the child, and his responsibilities bled from his energy.
