by J. M. Ivie
I listened to their conversation, leaning forward in my spot on the balcony.
“You’re wrong, Mr. Baraka. No one is good. That’s why we have Sotiris, the King. He can save us from this destruction.”
Barak chuckled, settling down on a seat in the yard. “There is no Great King, little Princess.”
Laramie shook her head. She was adamant. “There is! And He’s a good King. And, one day, He will bring an end to all of this and reunite the Realm. It’s the prophecy!”
“And how will He do that, little one?” Barak’s voice was gentle—chiding. He clasped his hands together as he leaned forward, challenging her, as if wanting to see if her belief in this King of Welkinia was similar to his own.
Laramie shifted, raising her head high. Her chestnut hair catching the light with the movement. “He will appoint a leader—a savior. He will lead us all to victory and the lands will be one once more.”
Barak nodded, running his hand through his hair.
“Will you give Sotiris a chance?”
Barak angled his head, staring at her with an unreadable expression. Then, he said flatly, “No.”
___
I walked into the courtyard after Barak left. Laramie sat where she had been standing, tracing an idle line with her finger along the fuller of her sword.
“Lovely blade…”
Laramie’s eyes didn’t waver. “Barak said I need a different one, this one is too heavy for me.” She released a long, audible breath. “I agree. It is a pain to wield.”
I forced a smile, “May I see?”
She nodded and handed me the sword. I picked it up, surprised at its weight.
“You need a shorter sword. This blade is far too long for you… I wouldn’t be comfortable fighting with it either.”
Laramie giggled. “You look like you could though.”
“Yes, but how efficient would it be to wield such a heavy weapon when a lighter one can do twice as much damage?”
Laramie tilted her head to the side. “True.”
“What has Barak taught you?”
“Lots! He was teaching me the basics. Yesterday I learned how to escape a choke hold. I’m not the best at it, but, I’m getting there.”
I nodded. I wanted to ask her about this King she spoke of, yet, wasn’t sure how to bring it up to her.
Perhaps if I remain quiet I can come up with something.
“You have something you wish to say?”
I looked at her. She was smiling. She knew she was right.
“Yes… Who is this King?”
Laramie peered into my face. She was studying everything. “Do you want to learn about Him?”
I nodded.
“Tonight. Meet me here in the courtyard. I’ll tell you all I know.” She grinned as she swung her sword into its sheath, “Don’t be late!”
___
The night rolled in and I found myself in the garden. Laramie stood there, a book in her hand, and hair braided. The mist of the night had settled over the land, and I remembered what she was. Part Siren. With the starlight above and the darkness before, I ventured forward.
“Apollo!” Laramie smiled happily, spinning around to face me. “Are you ready? I forgot that we will have to go into the library…”
The eerie trepidation that gnawed at me vanished once her face turned to mine. “Yes, I’m ready.”
___
“Here we are!”
My mouth dropped when we entered the castle’s library. It dwarfed Zahra’s significantly. There were stairs that led upward where many doors lined the walls of the second floor.
“We need to go into the History wing. That is where we will find it.” Laramie tugged on my sleeve and I followed her. We stepped up the stairs, walked into one corridor and entered another labyrinth of doors and books. “My father likes everything neat and tidy. We have a room for everything! One room he does not allow me in is the Magus chamber. I can understand, it’s full of dark secrets, but, don’t repeat this, I have entered there before. I’ve snuck books and read them.” Her cheeks burned red with embarrassment. “But, I enjoy the medical wing the most. Potion mixing is also a favorite of mine…” Laramie babbled on, checking the label above each of the doors quickly.
“Right now all the students who attend our Academy are away. They won’t return till the third month of spring when the professors are back. They leave for three months to recoup and explore different fields of study. Some stay here since they don’t like adventuring.”
We finally arrived at the History wing, which lay behind a tall green door. Laramie opened it with caution. Once inside, I felt a deep connection to power.
Inside the room was like another realm. Books stacked here and there, organized on shelves, with small orbs of living power floating around. “We don’t need the books… just these,” Laramie said as she peered at the spheres in the room.
“What are these orbs?”
Laramie smiled and gestured to them. “They have been alive for thousands upon thousands of years, passing their memories down from one to another. They are the Lanto… living and breathing memories.” Laramie snapped her fingers and each of the Lanto buzzed around her. “All right. Who has the memory of The Beginning?”
The Lanto zipped back and forth till one came forward. It looked old, or as old as an orb of pure light could look. Its color wasn’t as vibrant as the others, which were a bright sun-yellow. Instead, this one seemed blue. A Lanto losing its light.
“Ah, there you are my friend!” Laramie held out her hand, and the Lanto settled into her palm. “Most people do not know this about the Lanto—about what they can do. Instead, people tried to harness them for their light and energy. Soon enough, as is with anything of that nature, these precious little creatures became nearly extinct. Our history dying along with them. This one was the first Lanto to wander here…” Laramie placed a kiss on the round, living ball of light. “Now, shall you show us what you know?”
The Lanto pulsed brightly as it rose from her palm. It floated just above us. As if it were a dream, a white light encompassed my vision, then everything turned black.
T H I R T Y - T W O
I GASPED FOR BREATH. Everything was dark and wet. The Lanto hovered near me like a little ghost, humming an ancient song. I walked forward, trudging through the water. The world had no noise. Not even the water made a noise. There was nothing—as if I were walking through the veins of death itself.
A loud, echoing explosion rang over my head. I stumbled forward, falling into the water and striking the ground below. In the water’s reflection I saw three moons burst into existence. Bright. It was said the moons were a mirror to the sun, yet, here they were, glowing on their own.
Again, a loud explosion splintered the atmosphere. I covered my ears, trying to block out the deafening sound. Sparks, millions upon millions, shattered in the sky. They flashed and throbbed, pulsing and beating with life. The sparks suddenly melded together, dripping like hot iron from a forge. Soon, the liquid solidified in the sky, and a sun swirled into existence. That is when I saw it—a being with long and powerful wings. Every muscle in His lion body flexed and moved. He roared, and the ring of an explosion once again ripped the heavens. It was this creature that made the noise?
The ocean peeled upward. It breathed, as if it were alive, and land materialized from its depths. Before I knew it, I was standing on a newly formed earth. The creature landed beside me. There was nothing but stony land. He roared once again, shattering the rock below His talons. Sand. He made sand. With the stroke of His wings, He flung the sand into the skies. It flew into the heavens and settled there. Glowing and twinkling. Stars. He made stars.
His deafening shriek caused the ground to writhe. Veins of white pulsed below the soil, congregating into clumps. Trees and plants began to poke up from their sandy prison as flowers burst forth. They were far more fresh and alive than any I’d ever seen.
The creature plodded toward me. His eyes looked
as if they could cut my soul with a mere glance. Perhaps they did. He blew into the sand, this time, creatures burst out of the ground, shaking the dust from their bodies. After He finished this, He waded into the water, dipping his wings below the surface. Veins of blue light escaped from the tips of His feathers, stitching together the colossal forms of whales, dolphins, and hundreds of other creatures I had only heard of from stories.
The majesty of the moment made me fall to my knees in awe. I heard Him speak for the first time. It was a deep, untamed voice. One which poured fire and ice over my ears. I watched as seasons spun around me, and with the stroke of His wings, the creature bid it to still. The whales echoing call reverberated in the skies, and the warble of birds in the trees accompanied the creation chorus.
They were beautiful. Lightning blazed in the sky, pounding onto the ground. It struck around me and the creature. It appeared He directed each bolt into a specific place. I watched as more beasts and creatures rose from the ground, formed like crystals, coming to life with another stroke of lightning.
Finally, it ended. The skies stilled, and I looked at the creature. He stood over a lump of clay in the ground which slowly formed. “Man.”
He breathed life into the clay, and it became a man.
It was then He turned and looked at me through the raging orange of his eyes. “Apollo.”
My breath caught in my throat. He spoke my name. It was just a memory, but he was standing there and speaking. He said my name.
“Apollo…” His eyes burned into mine, and I bowed my head. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at Him. There was a light which emanated from his being, piercing even the darkness of my closed eyes.
“Apollo,” He spoke again. “You are here for a reason, are you not?”
“Yes…” My voice sounded fragile.
“That purpose is to find that which you believe, is it not?”
I nodded.
“Seeing is not always believing, My dear child. There are many who have not seen, yet, believed. And there are many who have seen, yet, not believed. Believing is not a result of what you have seen… it is an act of faith. A faith which burns in your heart.”
“How…” I still couldn’t wrap my head around it.
The creature smiled with His eyes. “Though, this is a memory, one strewn by the stories and tales told by those witness, I am The King Sotiris. It is not past My ability to enter a memory to speak to you.”
“Why me, King?”
The King bowed His head, pressing His beak to my forehead. “Because, My child, you seek forgiveness. You seek reconciliation with yourself, and those who you have wronged.” The King spread His wings, making the vision vanish. The both of us now stood in a long-forsaken valley devoured by fire and covered in ashes.
“Where are we?” I asked. My heart stuttered—the scenery changed so abruptly.
The King looked around. His powerful voice thundered in my ears, “This is Welkinia, My son. Three thousand years before the fall of Lykaon.”
I looked at Him. “Who is Lykaon?”
“He was My friend. He betrayed Me and the realm… but, this is not his doing.” He looked around, and the ashes blew onward toward the mountains in the distance. “This is man’s.”
I took in a sharp breath. We were on the same soil, but the scene changed. I turned and the ocean roared behind me—a tidal wave of red.
“I made a perfect world, Apollo. Man soon became discontent with what I had given him, wanting more. He wanted to become equal with Me.” Sotiris bowed His head, looking at the charred earth below His talons. “Such power shouldn’t befall a man. But, he found a power, one which perverted his soul. A perfect world destroyed, eaten by the flames of man’s desire.”
The ashes rose around us, spinning into a tempest. After a moment, the ashes turned into pastel buds which fell on the earth. We stood on a mountain, overlooking a golden sunset. Above us stood a mighty tree with red fruits. Its pink leaves fell to the ground like feathers. “The islands fell into peace after many, many years. People lived in unison with each other, praising the life they now had. As the generations came, lived, and died, My memory died along with them. It was on this day that man once again abandoned Me, forsaking the land I had made and destroying it.”
The ground shook, and the tree fell with a mighty crash. I grabbed the King by reflex, trying to keep my balance. He didn’t seem to mind me clutching to His mane. He spread His wings over me as the rocks and boulders fell from the mountains, protecting me from what would have killed. The earth split apart, and the screams of creatures echoed in the skies.
“This is the fall of Lykaon. My beasts, the guardians of the island, they turned to man, and mankind turned to them. I could only watch as My most beloved creations turned away from Me… and forget who I am.”
I looked at The King. Grief swirled in His glistening orange-gold eyes, congealing into a tangible glimmer of what I thought to be a tear. Despite the thundering hiss of the separating island I felt safe.
“I wish to show you one last thing, Apollo. This is what I wished to show you all along.” The King roared, and the sky split open. I had to shade my eyes from the overwhelming brightness. My body lifted, weightless. I blinked, and a horrendous sight spilled in front of me. Scattered all along a valley were the bodies of women and children. A group of men laughed in the distance, drinking and eating around a fire. The burning pile of a home.
“These men slaughter the innocent. They kill My followers for sport or for their religion.” Sotiris’ eyes burned. They looked as if He would devour the men in the valley and swallow them in a sea of endless flames.
“Why is it you wanted me to see this, my King?”
Sotiris turned and looked at me, His eyes still burning with anger. “There is a request. My people have asked for an avenger. A man to take blood for blood till the time of revenge should end, and I appoint a man to reunite the islands.”
“So, the prophecy is true?”
Sotiris nodded. “Every last word. Go. All which you have done is forgiven, Apollo. Rise a new man. Avenge your brothers and your sisters.”
“I am to kill?” I asked.
He nodded, though, once again sadness simmered in His eyes. “You were not a Ranger for no reason, my child. The innocent suffer.”
“But—if You are a good King—why do You wish me to kill?”
Sotiris tilted His head to the side. “I am all. This means I am also just. My children require justice. Come now, let us settle the matter.” Sotiris nudged me onward.
A river spread before us, reflecting everything like a mirror. When I looked into the water I hardly recognized myself. A creature, one which nearly resembled me, stared back. Hands like talons, a filth covered body, and a face like a monster.
“Wash and make yourself clean, Apollo. Learn to do what is right. Seek justice, and defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow. Though, your sins are as dark as the moonsless skies, they shall be as white as Arclendic snow.”
A warmth spread through my body. A peace unlike I had ever known before washed around my soul like a cleansing stream. As sudden as He appeared, He left. I closed my eyes in thought, trying to understand everything.
“Apollo?”
I opened my eyes and found I was once again in the History wing with Laramie and the Lanto buzzing around. “What did you see?” Laramie scowled, her eyes flicking across my face.
“Redemption.”
T H I R T Y - T H R E E
I PULLED MY COAT OVER my shoulders; it was the only thing I had left of Zahra. Barak said some of Elric's soldiers found it outside the chapel when they scouted the area the day after the incident.
The door creaked open. “You are going somewhere?”
Goosebumps prickled my skin. I looked in the mirror to Barak’s figure standing in the doorway.
“Yes. I’m going to Winsdale…” I turned. “If Zahra is there, I need to know.”
> “You are insane. You step foot outside the Woodlands and your tether will ignite. Jensen will find you.”
I nodded, “Don’t worry about me, Barak. I’ll be fine. I can outrun him.”
Barak drew his large rough hand across his brow. “You cannot outrun that which you cannot see.” His voice had an edge to it, as sharp as the knives sheathed at my side.
I shook my head. “There are things I need to do. Whether or not you like it, I’m leaving.”
Barak stopped looking worried and turned to looking irritated. “What things?”
It felt as if a lump of lead formed in the pit of my stomach. “Things the King wishes. The King of all the islands. Sotiris. You can’t help me… our beliefs are far from alike.”
Barak’s body stiffened, and a crease formed along his brow. He sighed and nodded, “Believe what you wish.” He turned his head, looking out the window. “And do what you wish. I am not here to hold you back.”
“Barak, that’s not what I mean.” I didn’t wish to push him away.
Barak stopped, pivoting his body in the doorway, “I seek to respect the beliefs of others even if they make little sense.” Barak rolled his lip between his teeth. “It appears you have always looked down on me for my belief in Dracul. At least you can try to stomach it.” His words sounded degrading.
“Well, then I suppose there is nothing more to be said. Good day, Barak. I will see you when I return.” The words tasted bitter in my mouth.
He whispered as he turned to leave the room, “If you return.”
It was a blow to the gut.
___
The train barreled through the mountain tunnel, flashing the fading light of the day in the window. Mountains rose and fell over the land, blurred by the haze of dusk. The orange glow gradually faded beyond the purple mountains, vanishing into a dark-red nothing beyond the horizon. Thunder clapped in the distance, and I waited to hear the patter of the rain on the tin roof of the car.