The Bad Seed

by Michael Lackey

  The next day the training began as it always had before and yet today was different, Tradan seemed more confident, more intense more like a champion. "What will be the focus for today, my prince?" asked Zachery.

  Tradan gave him a sly smile, “Sit back my friend, I have something to show you." Tradan then held out his hands and his body began to lift up from the ground. When he opened his eyes, they were bright white, shining forth from the sockets. "Now the fun part." As he hovered above the ground, he moved his arms as if he were wielding a lead baton. He motioned to the trees directly in front of the boys and immediately they were uprooted and shot through the air. The trees made a formation around them. He pointed to his left, the ground opening up and water sprang forth encircling the trees. With another gesture of his hands, the skies turned gray and lightning shot from the heavens. Tradan lowered himself back to the ground, the skies cleared, and he walked over to me. "Well? How was that?"

  “That was amazing!” Zachery exclaimed.

  26

  Enter The Path of a Thousand Eyes

  As the refugee army approached Doochary, Antoine asked Gabriel about the guarding warrior. "My Lord, you fought valiantly against the demon, and it took a lot out of you. Let me face the warrior who stands guard at the path. You need to regain your strength and ready yourself for the Path."

  Gabriel knew Antoine was right, though he did not like the idea of anyone else facing this ancient guardian, he also did not like his chances of defeating him himself. "Very well, Antoine, you have the task on your shoulders. Please, you must defeat this challenge not only for us, but I will not deliver the news of your demise to Natallia."

  Benzoete and Elos come riding up closer beside them. "My Lord, we need to rest and find shelter before advancing on the Path." Gabriel agreed with the wizard. The group found their way to a local inn. After they are settled, Benzoete and Elos consulted the Book of the Ancients once more, trying to find clues to lead them to the path and how to defeat the ancient warrior that guarded it.

  "According to this, the path’s entrance is in a low area beyond the woodland troops, its cover hides them from the normal eye. The evening sun lights the way and reflects the shimmer of immortal armor." They look at each other with utter confusion.

  Elos tried to decipher the clues. "Well, it seems that we will have to wait for evening for the setting sun to show the way."

  "Yes, but to where? Doochary does not have troops from the woodlands or otherwise. One would think normal eye means human, so we should have the advantage of seeing the way. If we only knew which way to look," Benzoete said scratching his head.

  Antoine and Andrea were busy making sure all the horses and gear were properly put away and taken care of. "You are a positively intriguing woman,” he said to her.

  "I have been called many things, but intriguing has never been one of them," Andrea laughed.

  "You are undeniably beautiful. I find it hard to concentrate while you are around me." Antoine started to blush with his confession.

  "Does that mean you are asking me to leave? As to not distract you, that is?" Andrea asked coyly.

  "As the brother by law to the king himself and commander of the guard, I would have the authority to do so." He slyly cut his eyes to Andrea. "Unless you give me a good enough reason to stay."

  She smiled a smile she had forgotten she had. It had been a long time that Andrea felt joy, let alone love. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, "Stay my lady, stay for me."

  She returned the kiss and placed her hands on either side of his face. "It would be an honor to be by your side, in war and in life as long as you would have me."

  Antoine had found love and peace for the first time since Natallia left. He now had another reason to fight the good fight and lead them to the Path of a Thousand Eyes.

  The next morning as everyone gathered for a warm breakfast, Benzoete and Elos looked frazzled from a long night of interpreting the clues in the Book of Ancients. "We think we know around where to look for the path. We were up almost the entire night, but we are close," Benzoete said as he patted down his matted white hair.

  "It's over the west ridge through a line of trees. The doorway is made of stone, standing alone at the back side of a clover field," Saduj said while reaching for a warm bread roll. All the others just stopped what they were doing and stared at him, "What? I asked the people who live here. They said thousands of elves and men have approached looking for the treasures. The few to make it into the path were never seen again. Real reassuring, right?"

  "He asked. . .the. . . people. We were up all night, and he asked. . .the. . .people." Elos had this strange look in his eyes.

  "There, there, Elos. The lad did well. Thank you for the information, Saduj." Benzoete said.

  Saduj winked. "Any time. If you need anything else, just ask."

  Benzoete placed his hand on Elos's shoulder to calm him.

  "When do we head out my Lord?" asked Antoine, who was now seated next to Andrea.

  "Now this is a sight for my eyes to behold. Antoine is happy!" Gabriel laughed and gave George a playful punch in the shoulder.

  "Looks like someone has found something they needed on this trip, right Antoine!" joked George.

  Elizabeth came up behind George and Gabriel both and gave them a pinch to the ears, "Leave him alone. I think it is wonderful. Everyone needs someone to fight for."

  Saduj nodded his head. "You have never spoke truer words ma’lady."

  "Do you have a wife Saduj?" asked Elizabeth.

  "No dear lady, I do not. My someone is my father. He was taken from me at a young age and I fight for him; looking to give his name peace. That is my someone." The table fell silent for a moment.

  "We have ‘til the sun begins to set. Get some rest and we will prepare to meet this Ancient Warrior," Gabriel said as he stood.

  The people took the day to reflect on what they fought for. Some remembered family lost or taken. Some had the promise of a future of peace without the demons. Others, a commitment to honor, vows of protecting the lives of Amundiss. All had a reason.

  As the sun began to descend, the group had made their way to the opening in the clover field. "According to the people here, when the setting sun's light hits the stone doorway, he appears. That is when you must make your challenge." Saduj told them.

  They rode up to the doorway and wait. When the sun's rays connected with the top of the door it shimmered.

  "It reflects the shimmer of immortal armor," Benzoete recited.

  The ground shook, the stone doorway swayed back and forth and suddenly, it moved.

  "Dear Gods, the doorway IS the warrior!" said George.

  They watched as the massive slabs of stone transformed into the ancient warrior himself. Each trace of masonry was etched as if a master blacksmith had crafted the armor from heavenly materials.

  Standing before the group, he introduced himself. "I am Stolos, the Watcher. Who will honor me in battle?"

  Antoine stepped forward. "I am Antoine of Tralla. I come on behalf of my King Gabriel. We seek the Valley of Ice Shadows."

  Stolos was ten feet taller than all of them. He leaned in toward Antoine, "Then why does this good king not fight for himself?"

  Gabriel slowly dismounted his horse. "I will if that is what is needed, good watcher."

  "No, I have this battle. My king is not whole, he battled the demon Rauko' just yesterday, it would not be a balanced and honorable fight." Antoine demanded as he stepped in front of Gabriel.

  "Rauko'! No wonder you seek the tomb. My task is clear I cannot allow you to enter unless you defeat me. Know this, if I am the victor, your life will be forfeited." The giant told them as he pulled a giant war scythe from his back.

  Antoine looked to Andrea. They exchanged only a look. With eyes still locked on her, Antoine said, "I understand noble one. After I defeat you, my group will have access to the Path which leads to the Tomb of the Elders?"

  Stolos nodded. "Then let it beg
in."

  He stepped back, and as the sun was all but set, the night was upon them. Torches suddenly appeared, lighting the battlefield. Antoine knew he had to be the faster, more agile one on offense. His purpose was to keep the giant off balance. He knew if he took a direct hit from his scythe, his life would be over.

  Stolos charged forward, swinging level with the ground to catch Antoine in the legs to slow him down. Antoine leaped over the blade, jumped off the handle of the scythe, and landed a hit to the giant's head with his blades. Landing on his feet behind Stolos, Antoine rolled between his legs, anticipating him to turn, and sliced at the giant's ankles. It was enough to shake the noble watcher, loosening his grip on the scythe and dropping it to the ground. As the weapon fell, the handle caught Antoine in the back knocking the breath out of him. Stolos sensed his chance, swung a mighty fist and connected with Antoine’s head full force sending him flying through the air and landing with a thud in the middle of the clover. Stolos gathered himself, picked up his blade, and slowly walked over to finish off his wounded combatant. The group of refugees all looked on in dismay.

  Andrea screamed for Antoine, "You can't end it this way! You must fight! Fight for Natallia! Fight for Tradan! Fight for me!"

  The giant Stolos stood over Antoine and raised his blade readying for the final blow. Antoine lay motionless. As the blade came down, Antoine rolled to one side and the blade sunk into the ground. He grabbed the daggers from his boots, ran behind the watcher and buried a blade into the flesh of the giant's leg. One right after another, each a little higher than the last, he climbed to the head of the warrior. In a flurry, Antoine sliced at the neck, bringing the giant down to his knees. With a flip, Antoine kicked against the back of Stolos impaling the giant with the handle of his own scythe. Stolos roared in pain, pulling himself off the weapon.

  As he turned to face Antoine, immortal blood spilled from his chest when a flash of light burst forth and the giant was gone. He reappeared whole again at his original location. "Well fought, good Antoine of Tralla. You have bested me and gained entrance to the Path of a Thousand eyes. Follow this path to the end. You will not know time and time will not know you. When you see the skies open up and hear the singing of the whistling thrush, look for the Tomb entrance at the base of the four falls. Go in honor." With that, Stolos morphed into the doorway again, this time with the entrance open.

  Andrea rushed to check on Antoine, "How are you? Can you walk?"

  Antoine fell to his knees, grabbed Andrea around the waist, and pulled her close to him. "Your voice is what I heard. Your voice is what kept me going. Your voice is why I am alive. I never want to be out of range of your voice, ever." He stood and kissed her, before looking at Gabriel. "I told you I could accomplish this, let us go claim our prize."

  The group entered the doorway one by one. The war had been hard, but they were not prepared for what lay before them.

  27

  The Brethren Unleashed

  Rauko' made his way into the war room of Castle Whitehold and staggered to a chair. Dori'naur stood, looking out the large window with his back to the door.

  "You are pathetic. You let a mere human get the best of you. You bring shame to the master and yourself."

  "All this time, and you didn't know, brother? This is no mere human," Rauko' told him as he tossed a bloody piece of cloth on the table. "Smell the blood for yourself."

  Dori'naur took the cloth and rubbed the blood between his fingers. Bringing it to his face, he slammed his fist through the table. "How could we have been so stupid. We had the perfect advantage right in front of us and did not realize it!"

  Rauko' smiled slyly. "Best part of it all, he does not even know who he is. He used none of his powers, only fought with brute force."

  Dori'naur picked the bloody cloth back up and clenched it in his fist. "Do you realize the favor we would gain from the master if we presented him with this prize?! We must go together to capture the dear King Gabriel. Where were they headed?"

  "I left them in EL'Arsha, just outside of Doochary. We can catch up to them quickly if we do not have your barkers lumbering behind," Rauko' retorted.

  "Ready your hounds. We have a trip to make. Looks like we are going to see an old friend." Dori'naur said.

  The demon brethren set out for Doochary, unbeknownst to them Antoine had defeated the guard, Stolos, and already entered the Path of a Thousand Eyes. The speed at which they could move was unreal. Through the demonic brother’s determination to destroy Gabriel fueled them to no end. Once inside Doochary, Dori'naur found the wounded refugees who had stayed behind, because the feared they would not make it inside the path. As the demons questioned them, the refugees found the same fate as the poor people of Weelinn.

  "What now, brother?" Rauko' asked as he tossed the body of the last refugee to his hounds. The sight of Shaaux and Varg fighting over the parts was insufferable.

  "We go visit the watcher. Do you think he will remember us?" Dori'naur replied.

  Rauko' let out a roar of laughter. "I should hope so. I still have his eyes!"

  AS THE KING’S GROUP entered the Path, Gabriel and the rest of the refugee army had no idea what dangers lay ahead of them, or the closing in demon brothers. Benzoete suggested that they stay close to the entrance until he bandaged up Antoine's wounds and applied the healing herbs, "You fought heroically. Your ancestors would be proud. Try not to open these wounds, we need you with us."

  Gabriel placed a hand on Antoine's shoulder. "I am glad you're still with us, my friend. I could see the angelic fates smiling upon you. I knew you were to be victorious."

  Andrea was at his side and cast an uneasy look in his direction. "Angelic fates? There's something you're not telling me."

  Antoine shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I will explain all to you once we are out of this place." He kissed her on the forehead and stroked her dark hair. "We don't know how far this will lead us, but we do know it is going to be dangerous."

  Saduj walked up and asked, "Do you need any help carrying your things? I am glad to help."

  Andrea turned to him and declining shook her head. "I have him, thank you. The wizards may need help with their things."

  With a nod, Saduj walked ahead. "Something about him makes me uneasy. I would swear I know him from somewhere," Andrea grumbled.

  "Saduj has been a great addition to the army, his arrows are what keep us alive against the barkers. Now, let us catch up to the others, I'm sure Benzoete has some advice on how this path works." Antoine wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and they walked forward.

  Andrea stopped abruptly and looked straight into Antoine's eyes. "You can't leave me, not now, not ever. You get discouraged in here, you look to me."

  Antoine smiled. "Yes, ma'am. You have my word."

  Benzoete gathered the men around him. "From what I can gather from the Book of the Ancients, this path is not to be taken lightly. I do not know how long it is, nor exactly what lies ahead. This is the only passage I found about the path:

  "A thousand eyes have seen; a thousand eyes have closed. The path to what is sought is the path of what is not. Seek redemption through the Path of a Thousand Eyes. The Tomb of your Elders at the end doth lie."

  Gabriel heard these words and thought of the old dwarf who he helped find redemption, and in a way his own.

  "What does this mean? What will we have to do?" asked George, who sat nearby with Elizabeth and Launa.

  Elos stepped forward, "We can only guess at the meaning. What we believe is the eyes that dwell in the path are from the past travelers that have attempted to pass through. If you falter, you will become the new inhabitant of the path."

  "You still have not told us what it is we will be facing in here,” Antoine spoke up.

  "That, my dear Antoine, will be yourselves." The group gasped and mumbled to themselves at what Benzoete just revealed.

  "How will we face our self? I do not understand," asked Gabriel.

  "I have heard tales
of the path all my life. The legends are that you will be confronted with your inner self, all your wrongdoings and your self-worth. If you cannot face your most evil side, you will be lost."

  A worried look followed across the faces of the people. Most thought themselves to be good people, but even the most divine had a dark side. Who would be strong enough to confront themselves and survive a trial of the soul?

  "Stay close to each other. Try to help your fellow companion. We will need it. Inside here, time is forgotten, don't let your soul become forgotten as well," said Gabriel.

  As the refugees made their way to the Tombs, Dori'naur and Rauko' stood outside of the Path of a Thousand Eyes and called for Stolos.

  "Stolos! Awake! We have a need to speak to you!" Dori'naur bellowed in an ancient language.

  The stones began to shake and rumble, the mighty watcher, Stolos, stood before them. "Why do you come to me? You are not permitted to pass."

  Rauko' walked closer to the giant, "Tsk tsk tsk, now Stolos, is that any way to treat old friends?"

  The watcher lifted his mighty scythe from his back. "YOU are no friends of mine! You are the reason for my torment! You are the ones who put me here!"

  Dori'naur started to walk to the other side of the giant to surround him. "We are not the ones who sided with the Temptress now are we?"

  "You are the ones who sent her to me. It is because of you that I failed Akadius and suffered the fate of his wrath. I have spent centuries hoping against hope that our paths would cross again. I knew that this day would come. I saw that the son of my master, Akadius, would come needing to enter. When they approached me on yesterday's eve, I knew you would follow."

  Rauko' glared at the giant. "You faced the demigod yesterday? How did he fair?"

  Stolos backed away a little. "No, no. I faced the Elysian, and he fared much better than you will on this day." With that, Stolos advanced forward, his war scythe connected with Varg's neck sending him flying with a yelp, landing with a bloody thud.