The Return of the Fifth Stone

by Vincent Todarello

  #

  A distant gallop came to my ears, interrupting the calm pitter-patter of rain that fell on the cabin roof. Moments later there was a loud rapping at the front door.

  “Open up. We know you’re in there,” a deep voice rumbled. Then there was more pounding on the door. I heard muffled voices; there were two men. A moment later Patreus came into the study, blew out the candle and whispered for me to hide under his desk.

  I quietly cowered underneath, shielded by the front, clutching the Hope at my chest and trying to remain dead silent. I thought I was safe and cautious. Perhaps they saw me, or perhaps Hadut knew about us in the woods earlier.

  “How can I help you gentlemen this evening?” Patreus bounded with sarcasm as he flung the front door open.

  “Routine inspection,” one of them said. I could hear their massive boots as they crossed the sitting room floor with each step, every thud accompanied by a high pitched clang from their riding crops and the slog of mud and wetness from the rain. I imagined they were large men; too large for one to have been Hadut. These men sounded like soldiers; like the ones who had taken my mother.

  “What were you doing outside?” the other barked at Patreus.

  “Outside? I was asleep. You woke me.”

  “Earlier in the night,” the man clarified.

  “Is it forbidden to walk my property with my son?” Patreus asked with incredulity.

  “Don’t get wise with me, or we’ll have you jailed like your neighbor.”

  “I was simply searching for a lost amulet with my son. He dropped it in the woods earlier today.”

  “Searching for an amulet in the dark?” He doubted Patreus.

  “Yes. We had only just learned it was missing,” Patreus added to his lie.

  One of the men began to sniff the air. “What’s that smell?”

  “Smells like a candle has gone out,” the other replied. “There, in that room.” Their wet steps drew near. They entered the study.

  “Oh good heavens, I must have left one lit when I turned in for the night. Thankfully it has fizzled out,” said Patreus, seemingly sincere.

  “Good heavens, yes,” one of them grumbled. “You could have burned down your cabin, like your unfortunate neighbor.” He laughed.

  The man’s steps came all the way to the desk; he was inspecting the candle. His toes, nearly under the desk, almost kicked me. If the desk did not have a wood walled front, I would have been spotted. I shook with nervousness.

  “You’ve been through here before, men. You’ve seen it all. I have nothing to hide,” Patreus coyly said as he moved around the back of the desk and sat in the chair. His feet were beside and under me. Smart. With his legs under the desk, the men wouldn’t think to check beneath it.

  “Very well. Let’s be on our way,” one of them said. “And watch your collection of books. If it grows much larger yours will be the next cabin to burn.”

  “Are books illegal now too? Business documents as well?” Patreus retorted.

  “You watch yourself,” the other man threatened. “You know very well what sorts of books we are talking about.”

  Patreus remained silent, realizing he had pushed his luck far enough. Soon the men were gone. I heard their horses gallop away in the distance against a backdrop of rain and low thunder. Patreus told me it was safe to come out. After some more words about the importance of my secrecy, he went back to sleep. The night wore on to the morning, and I heard birds chirping outside, heralding the new day.

  #

  I longed to see daylight, having been kept in the dark for so long. The sun began to rise and I cautiously peered out the sitting room window as it climbed up above the foggy tree line of the woods beyond my parents’ cabin. As the light fell upon the cabin, I noticed that it had been burned. The wood splintered and twisted. It was charred and blackened with soot. The thatched roofing was reduced to ash and the walls were mangled and destroyed. The orange glow of sunrise bathed across the cabin and painted a picture of what it might have looked like when it was ablaze. Everything that my father had made, though modest in comparison to others, was reduced to rubble; the remains of an old fire some time ago. I held my head in sadness, thinking of my parents.

  I wondered how long it had been since they were taken from me. I lost track of time when I was hidden under Patreus’ barn. I knew seasons had changed, as I was given blankets at one time and cooler clothing at another. I had grown too. And although it felt like I spent an eternity out in the barn, it also felt like it was just yesterday that I was cleaning up bellyfrits from the sitting room floor as my mother rode in from Sanji.

  Patreus awoke and came into the sitting room. He saw me carefully looking out. “They burned it in the night, after they took your mother. Then they came here and turned everything upside down, looking for you.”

  “How long was I under the barn?”

  “Nearly a full 444 days. Today marks your fourteenth cycle. I was determined to get you out from under that barn by today even if it meant that you were still in danger. Poor child. A cycle out in the cold, alone and scared. Bless you for not despising me.”

  My brain was again flooded with questions. I was so tired from lack of sleep that I began to blurt things out relating to my parents. “What is worship?”

  “Worship is the act of being thankful for our lives and being respectful for all the things we have,” Patreus explained patiently.

  “Was my father arrested for worshipping the stones?” I asked.

  “No. Only the impure worship the stones. They all desire the powers of the stones, so it was not made a crime to worship the stones. The pure worship differently.”

  “Why don’t they all get arrested?”

  “The pure, you mean?” Patreus asked.

  “Yes. Why don’t all the other pure Haareti get arrested like my father did?”

  “Because they worship in secret. You father was trying to change all of that. He was doing it in public and teaching everyone around him. He said that it was our duty. You see, when Scievah took control he outlawed all praise of the king, because he wanted the praise for himself. He punished anyone who disobeyed that command with death. The pure do not follow that law, and your father began to try to change it.”

  I was dozing off as he spoke. I faintly remember Patreus guiding me into the study, where I slept.

  I woke to the sound of Deius and Lunaris laughing outside the cabin. It was midday. I peeked out of the sitting room window and I saw them running around each other with sticks, pretending to have a sword fight.

  The harvest season was upon us, and the farm was vibrant with colors. Red berries danced among the pointed green leaves on the buckleberry bushes, pearapples hung like golden orange teardrops from the trees in the orchard at the far end of the farm, and bright brown starcones dotted the pinestar trees in the distance.

  Although I could not join Deius and Lunaris outside for fear that Hadut would see, I did not feel up to it anyway. My spirits were down. Learning all about my parents made me miss them even more, and my life felt like one big nightmare. I wanted so much to speak with them. I wondered if I would ever see them again.

  “Good morning. Or should I say good afternoon,” Patreus announced as he entered the sitting room.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve overslept.”

  “It’s quite alright, Valdren. You had a long and strange evening. And you certainly could use a comfortable rest for a few days after being out in that barn underground for so long.”

  “No. It’s okay. I want to do my part around here.”

  “Well, if that is the case you can help Fiama around the house for now. We can’t risk you going outside yet.”

  “Very well.”

  Patreus dragged some bedding into the study. “I’ve fashioned you a bed. Try it out and get some more rest if you like.”

  I flopped down onto it and soon realized how achy and sore I was. All that time sleeping on the earthen floor made me accustomed to discomfort.
My bones and muscles felt as if a soothing bath washed over them when I sank into the lamb shear cushion. The cloth surrounding the padding had been softened, like it was many cycles old and broken in for just the right amount of comfort. It was delicate and smooth to the touch. My eyelids became heavy and closed, and I slept once again.

  Later in the evening the smell of supper stirred me from my slumber; the familiar scent of fresh escali shoots boiled with onion. A pleasant waft of spiced and herbed meat followed and I was soon on my feet. My body was well rested, and the aromas invigorated me like I had never experienced. I stretched, yawned and made my way out of the study.

  As I crossed the sitting room the sun was setting behind the tree line, casting a long shadow that reached across the farm toward my parents’ cabin, which now caught the last bit of golden daylight.

  “Welcome, Valdren!” Patreus cheered.

  Before I could answer, Lunaris and Deius ran to me and hugged me with an embrace that was a long time in the waiting.

  “Careful now, you’ll kill him,” joked Patreus.

  Lunaris ended her embrace with a soft kiss on my cheek, something she had never done before. Then Peitus, their older brother, approached me and messed my hair.

  “Welcome back, you little weasel,” he teased, with gritted teeth and a fake smirk.

  “You must be famished,” said Fiama. “Sit. Eat.”

  Before me was a wonderful meal of boiled escali shoots with onion, spiced herbed lamb and butter roasted tambo root tubers.

  “Feeling better Valdren?” asked Patreus.

  “Yes. Better than ever, thank you.”

  “Good! Enjoy your supper.”

  “Thank you for letting me sleep for so long.”

  “You needed the rest. A cycle out there in the barn and then a night of running around the woods with Felgor...”

  “You met Felgor?” Deius exclaimed with brightened eyes, interrupting Patreus.

  “Yes.”

  “You lucky bug,” he said. “I’ve only heard stories.”

  “What kind of stories?” I asked.

  “That he can disappear completely,” Deius insisted. Patreus laughed and I joined in with him.

  “I’ve told you, Deius, he can’t disappear but he sure is a sneaky one alright. Only goes out at night, dresses in all black, and moves about silently,” Peitus embellished.

  “Yes. Your father thought he was an intruder at first,” I said.

  “You lucky bug!” Deius exclaimed again. “Father, when can I meet him?”

  “You’ll meet him soon enough Deius. He usually comes by well into the night after you are asleep. I think Peitus has only seen him once or twice, isn’t that right Peitus?”

  “That’s right. I snuck up on him and scared him silly,” Peitus boasted.

  “Ha! In your dreams my boy!” Patreus guffawed, and the table erupted in laughter for several moments. “In any case, he told us he wouldn’t be around much for a while, so don’t get your hopes too high. He just came to meet Valdren and warn us of a scout in the wood, so we must keep Valdren hidden and safe. Understood?”

  “Yes father,” Deius said, and the others nodded in agreement.

  No one spoke of the soldiers that came in the night. Sadly, they had gotten used to such villainy. That kind of intrusion was normal to them.

  “You’ve gotten taller,” Lunaris leaned in and whispered to me. Her entrancing ice blue eyes momentarily froze me until a blade of brown hair swung down from behind her ears and cut my gaze. I bashfully smiled at her and continued eating.

  The food was delicious, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of my mother’s cooking. The smile on my face soon faded as reality sank in; I was not just visiting with friends. I would be there for a long time and had to accept that. My home was gone. My own family, gone.

  After supper Patreus read to us about the ancient times. I noticed he was reading from the book he gave me; the Hope. He continued from where he had left off on a previous night.

  “And they gathered at the Junction of the Four Realms to prepare for battle.”

  “Shall I fill Valdren in father?” asked Deius.

  “Please do,” replied Patreus, and Deius began to explain what I had missed.

  “This is the story of the battle at the Junction of the Four Realms, an ancient marketplace in the north where Haareti from all four realms traded goods. It was a central meeting place where each realm provided easy access to the other three, set upon a high cliff at water’s edge near the Gates of Uhaaretu and the Hem’l Canopy. Just before he had the Firestone, Scievah tried to conquer the city, as he had done to other towns and cities during the Firestone Wars. This is the story of how Gareth defended the Junction. The pure win in this battle, one of their only victories.”

  “Well, now you’ve gone and ruined the ending for Valdren.” Lunaris playfully rolled her eyes.

  “Indeed, Deius, no more spoiling the story for Valdren. But Deius is correct. The pure win this battle but lose the war, as we all know,” explained Patreus.

  Patreus told the story through to its end. Gareth, one of the first Ahaareti, led a force of pure Haareti that included Aquidians, Lapisians, Uhaareti and Ahaareti alike. Together they battled a determined horde of corrupt Ahaareti who vowed to obtain the stones and use them for their powers. The pure outnumbered the impure in this battle, which was just one of many battles Scievah waged against the pure in his quest to rule the Haareti. Yet the corrupt fought with rage and vigor. They were imbibed with the destructive force of the Fountain of Power, having sipped from its seductive waters. This gave them extraordinary strength and resolve.

  The impure were lead by LeDodd, the son of Enasz, another of the first Ahaareti who was corrupted by a desire for the stones. LeDodd killed many men. He was a terrible and powerful warrior. But eventually he had to retreat; the fountain’s powers faded from his men and few of them were left alive.

  “This is an important story to learn from,” Patreus instructed. “Impurity is like a disease that spreads and grows. Even one shred of corruption can lead to disaster. You see, victory was in the hands of the pure, but they let it slip, underestimating Scievah's will. The pure were confident in victory, but they were wrong. They celebrated as if the war was over, but Scievah took the Firestone and corruption spread. No matter how small that threat of impurity is, it will surely grow to be something of grave concern unless we continue to fight it. And as long as Scievah lives, there will always be a threat of impurity on Haaret.”

  “Don’t I have shreds of impurity because of my ancestors?” I asked.

  “Yes. We all have some form of impurity in our lines, but this corruption can be cured in us all. We often use the words pure and impure to differentiate between those who outwardly wish to use the stones and those who do not, but, as Felgor said, it is a misnomer. All Ahaareti are corrupted due to Enasz and the impure lines which flowed from him. You see, we are all brothers. We are all remotely related to Enasz the Fallen, as shown in the genealogies. So, impurity is inherited by all Ahaareti, Valdren, but remaining impure is a choice. That is a matter left to our free will.”

  “So what about my father?” I asked. “He chose to be pure?”

  “Yes,” Patreus answered. “Your father decided to lead a pure life, even after half of it was lived impurely. To quote the great and wise Ver’Deiro; ‘It is not ancestry, but the heart and actions that flow from it which dictate purity or impurity.’ So you see, Valdren, whether we are pure or corrupt is a conscious choice that we all must make. It is not predetermined for us or based on our ancestry. And while, as in your father’s case, impurity can be pressed upon us or taught to us, the heart is always aware and presented with that choice,” said Patreus. “The choice to strive to be truly pure, to cast aside the corruption we are born with.”

  “I see.”

  “And have you made your choice?” he asked.

  “Yes, Patreus. I want to be pure like my parents,” I replied.

  �
��A good decision, Valdren.” He chuckled, then began to instruct again. “This story also has special meaning for another reason. Gareth, the warrior for the pure, united the four realms of Haaret in battle against evil. This is foretold to happen once more in the future. The Hope says that one man will unite us again when the Divinae return for battle, only this time it will put an end to Scievah once and for all, restoring peace to Haaret, and the stones will once again be placed at their altars.”

  It had grown late again and Patreus and his family were preparing for sleep. I was not tired. I felt more alert and awake in the night, perhaps because I slept earlier in the day.

  “Your father had trouble sleeping at night as well." Patreus knew. "The Uhaareti are nocturnal you know. They spend most of their waking life in the night.”

  “I do feel more alert and awake than ever, but I just thought that was because I’d gotten used to feeling uncomfortable and tired for so long, as if a good rest made this night invigorating in comparison.”

  “You may be right, but you may also have some of your father’s nocturnal traits. When we were with Felgor I saw them in you, the Uhaareti traits, and certainly your incessant digging and burrowing under my barn!” He chuckled, pointing at my roughened and ever-dirty hands. “As you finish becoming an adult I imagine you will discover more of them. Your father learned to control his sleeping pattern somewhat, so that he could spend more time in daylight than in the night. Since you are Uhaareti by half of half, you may have an easier time controlling it.”

  “What about the other traits? My mother's?” I asked. “Will I grow wings too?”

  “That I do not know, Valdren. You are the first with the blood of the four.” He grinned and handed me the Hope. “Here. This was meant as a gift for you. Your father wanted you to have it. I heard from him today while you slept.”

  “You did? Is he okay?” My hopeful eyes widened.

  “Yes. Well, not directly. He passed word to me through our system of spies. Felgor is not the only spy, you see.”