by Don P. Bick
Chapter 36
Druc no longer noticed the cold or even the darkness. He was lost in thought. Resigned to the inescapable fact that he was on the verge of dying, his thoughts turned to his friends. He was sadly disappointed he had let them down, not to mention all those other people in the world that could have been saved, given a successful quest. It was such a heavy burden and responsibility for one individual, and a group of only seven to bear.
There was no self pity. Druc wasn't even thinking about himself. He knew he had given his all to accomplish the purpose of the quest. He had given all that he was humanly capable of giving. It apparently wasn't enough, but he had done and tried his best. Just before passing out, Druc pledged his heart to the others in their continued quest for the bridge. He knew they would not give up, shouldn't give up. The stakes were too high.
As consciousness started to slip from his body, a gentle surging sensation began to flow through his entire system. It started with his feet and gradually thrilled through every atom and cell in his body. The energy that flowed through him was the energy of life itself. It seemed to renew and invigorate his dying form. He felt like a young man again. Of course he was also aware the changes were within his consciousness and not his physical body. His body was lying prostrate on the cold floor, badly in need of water and warmth.
A change was coming over him. He was very alert and alive. He wasn't going to die as he had thought a short while ago. A warm and calm life sustaining presence overshadowed his consciousness. His fear was replaced with deep understanding and compassion, above all, compassion. He could see and hear everything clearly.
His ears heard no words and yet words coursed through every nerve throughout his body.
"Do not fear anymore my treasured brother. You have adequately passed the trial placed before you. In the end you placed others before yourself. That was the trial. Rise up now, the door is opened. The key was, and is, yours. It has been yours all the time, although you still know it not. Rise up now and claim your rightful prize, revealed within the cave of fire."
Druc's body was light as a feather as he rose and moved toward the door, which had appeared in the wall. The room simmered in soft white light. His feet seemed to glide his body across the floor and right through the stone doorway.
The room he entered was filled with fire, a cold cleansing fire. Without being told Druc knew it was the essence of life itself. It purified and cleansed his being. It filled his heart with life and love, just as the sun provides nourishment to all life within its orb of influence. He felt reborn. All pain, anxiety and emotional turmoil had vanished.
In the middle of the room, engulfed in flame, stood a golden metal staff. It was almost as tall as he. On the top of the staff was a clear globe of crystal, approximately four inches in diameter. The top of the clear globe reached a point just above the level of his eyes. Two ornate snakes, one silver and the other bronze, intertwined themselves around the staff, from the bottom of the rod to slightly above the center of the crystal orb. The snakes separated the greatest distance from the staff near the top, leaving a place between them to grip the golden rod. Druc's feet seemed to float to the center of the room. When he stood in front of the staff he reached out and took it into his grip. The fire continued to burn but it didn’t hurt him. It felt soothing and comforting. The golden staff fit his hand perfectly. It seemed to fill an empty place within his body and he felt whole with it in his hand. After he had a firm grasp on the golden rod the fire died out. It appeared to flow down the rod and up into his arm, but he didn’t feel any pain or other sensation as he watched.
"Keep the staff with you at all times. You must deliver it to the Vulcan on Serpent Isle. The staff’s power is not available to you in the physical world until it is re-polarized. The Vulcan will know what to do."
"There is much left to be done. When the time comes for you to use the power of the golden staff you will be ready and will know how to channel it. Remember, you will never be alone my brother."
With that last thought Druc knew the time had come to exit the cavern. A doorway appeared across the room. Druc walked across the floor and through the stone opening, holding the staff high in his right hand.