Three Visions

by Tony Johnson

  Cyrus heard the screams from the crowd before he noticed the dark shadows on the sand-filled arena floor. Along with every spectator, his gaze turned towards the sky.

  Flaming boulders began raining down. People panicked and started running in any possible direction. A boulder crushed a row of wooden stands that spectators were trying to escape from. They were lost in the wreckage, burned alive as the shattered wood caught fire. Oakley was hit by a part of the catapulted debris, killing him instantly.

  As Cyrus’s stallion went down, the warrior was unable to free his leg of the stirrup. He was crushed under Oakley, breaking his leg and causing his head to smash into the arena floor, which, even though it was made of sand, knocked him unconscious.

  “Jouster!” Cyrus yelled in a nervous and shaky voice once he awoke, minutes later, to terrible pain in his head and leg. His Celestial opponent, Stephen Brightflame, hurriedly led his horse, Clyx, over in his direction.

  He can’t see where I am, Cyrus could tell, after the red-armored warrior didn’t come directly to him. “Brightflame!” he yelled.

  After finding him, Steve clasped Cyrus’s shoulder to let him know he was there. “What’s your name, friend?” he asked as he examined Cyrus’s injuries.

  “Cyrus. Pleased to meet you, Stephen Brightflame, but this may be the shortest friendship either of us will ever know.”

  Steve nodded reluctantly. “You know my name?”

  “Of course. It’s all I heard while I was here. This city loves you. You would’ve won the championship for them. You’re an excellent jouster.”

  “That’s only if I would've beaten you. We never finished our match.”

  “You're right, I was just about to make my comeback,” Cyrus laughed sarcastically, knowing he was only one point away from defeat. The laugh turned into a cough of blood that trickled from his mouth. He could tell that Steve was at a loss for words for what to say, so Cyrus broke the silence.

  “You know I was born in this city? I grew up here. Then I met a girl from Casanovia. I moved there earlier this year and married her. She’s there now, pregnant with my child. Her name is Emma.”

  “Any other family? Your parents?” Steve asked in a caring voice.

  “No, I never knew my parents. Emma and our baby are the only family I have. Please send word of my love to them.”

  “I will try to do it in person. I promise you.”

  “Thank you. You know I always wanted to die in Celestial. Place of birth, place of death. Makes everything come full circle, doesn’t it?”

  Steve awoke with a start, delusional as to where he was and what day it was. Unsure of how long his dream lasted for, he glanced out the window and saw a couple hours had passed.

  That was Emma who was being escorted down the hallway before I fell asleep, Steve realized as the cries of a newborn carried down the hall.

  Thinking back to Shana’s vision and the mystery behind Princess Kyra and Malorek’s missing firstborn child, Steve got up and said aloud, “How come I didn't see it before?!”

  Even though Kari couldn’t hear him, Steve excitedly squeezed the hand he’d been holding during his entire nap. “This is it!” he told her. “I know who Cyrus from the vision was!” Kissing her forehead, he promised, “I’ll be back soon,” before running out the door and heading in the direction of the crying baby.

  “Is Emma available to see?” Steve asked the doula, who was standing in the hallway outside Emma’s room.

  Looking surprised, having heard about how Steve had barely left the side of the injured Halfling woman, the cleric went into the room, behind the curtain, to ask Emma if she wanted a visitor, and then invited Steve in after a few minutes in which the baby had been nursed and fallen asleep.

  “How are you? And how’s the baby?” he whispered, seeing a fair-skinned baby boy bundled in a blue blanket sleeping soundly on Emma’s chest.

  “Hi, Steve. We’re both good. And you don’t have to whisper, just to let you know. He’s proven to be a heavy sleeper so far. Thanks for checking on us. I couldn’t believe the attack when it started. Are you and your friends alright?”

  “For the most part we’re okay, but one of us got pretty banged up, that’s why I’m here in the infirmary, to be with her.” Changing the subject, pained to even think about Kari’s helpless state, Steve asked, “So, have you named him yet?”

  “Yes, Cyrus and I picked out names before he left for the Tournaments,” Emma shared, looking sad for a moment thinking of her husband’s death. “For a boy, we decided on Wexley.”

  “Wexley Wheeler, I like it.”

  “Do you want to hold him?”

  Nervous to handle such a precious commodity, especially one that was even more precious in the eyes of the person he was taking it from, Steve said, “no,” and waved it off, but Emma insisted, saying it wasn’t a problem.

  “I actually wanted to talk to you about Wexley here, as well as your husband,” Steve admitted, as he gently took the baby and nuzzled the newborn into the crook of his elbow. “Can I ask you, how old was Cyrus?”

  “He was nineteen.”

  I knew it, Steve nodded. He seemed to be around the same age as me. “He told me he was born in Celestial. Is that true?”

  “Yes, he and I met when I was visiting the capital with some friends and we started writing to each other. He moved to Casanovia when he turned sixteen and became a warrior here shortly thereafter. He finished quicker than anyone so that we could get married and he could provide for us financially.”

  “He told me he never knew his parents.”

  “That’s right, Cyrus was adopted. He didn’t know much about his true parents. It was kept secret from him. The parents who adopted him said they were sworn to secrecy until he was older. If you don’t mind me asking, why are you so interested in my late husband?” Emma asked once she saw that Steve was smiling from ear to ear at her answers.

  “The people I traveled to Casanovia with and I have been experiencing visions that we believe are given to us directly from Alazar. Remember how when I was at your house, I told you about Malorek, the leader of the monster army that attacked Celestial? Well, in these visions, we've been seeing his life before he became the Hooded Phantom.

  Malorek married King Zoran's daughter, Princess Kyra and she bore him twin sons. The second one born is the one everyone knows, Prince Silas, but there was another who Kyra named Cyrus, but something must've happened to him, because there is no record of Cyrus in the royal family. He was either killed or abandoned. Those are the most likely possibilities.”

  “So you think since my husband’s name was Cyrus, he is the son of Malorek and the princess?” Emma was skeptical.

  “Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but he is Human, which was Kyra and Malorek’s race, plus, he was adopted, he was born in Celestial, and he's nineteen, the same age as his twin brother, Silvanus Zoran. He's the firstborn male which means he was the primary heir, and now since Oliver Zoran is dead, and Cyrus has passed on, by rule the crown and the throne goes to the oldest living son. That would be this guy,” Steve gestured to Wexley, who he swayed in his arms.

  “This is all too much to take in,” Emma stated, readjusting herself in her bed, but Steve could see things clicking for her as she began to realize her husband and baby’s true identity. “You're saying my son is the king? How would you even prove that? No one's going to take your word for it. Anyone could find someone who's nineteen and Human and make up that story. Look at you, you must be close to nineteen and are a Human.”

  “I am nineteen,” Steve interjected.

  “Yeah, you could claim that you're the king, and no one would accept that unless you could prove your bloodline.”

  Steve saw her point. “I don't know. There can't be many people that fit all these qualifications. I may come close, but I don’t check all the necessary boxes. Unlike Cyrus, I have a description of who my parents are, and they don’t even remotely resemble Prince
ss Kyra or Malorek. Your husband’s story fits the narrative perfectly,” Steve said.

  “There may be one way to find out,” Emma said in an epiphany. “The people that raised Cyrus, they must know more about his true lineage. I do remember they said they kept the name his father originally gave him. Beyond that, most was kept secret. The only other thing Cyrus knew was what his foster parents told him: that they were providing a safer place to live because his father was an evil man. They would be your best bet to contact next to find out more. There’s only one problem though.”

  “What’s that?” Steve asked.

  “They still live in Celestial.”

  Steve’s gaze was downcast. Is there a chance that I can find them and get the final details to this story? Or did they die like their adopted son and so many others during the siege?

  “Maybe I can find them, but even if I can’t, I believe the next visions will answer all the questions we have,” he earnestly spoke to Emma. “I’ve been searching for the reason I was one of the few who survived Celestial. It’s all starting to make sense to me now. I think I was meant to go against your husband in the joust, and it’s no coincidence I happened to be the last one to speak to him. Otherwise, no one would’ve ever have found any of this out. I think Alazar is showing the five of us elect visions of Malorek’s life and giving us powers so we can eliminate those who are evil and set up the new kingdom under the correct ruler. It’ll be a clean slate and a fresh start. Your son, this newborn life, symbolizes the hope we have of a new future.”

  “This is too surreal,” Emma said. “I can't wrap my head around it.”

  “I'm sorry to spring this on you,” Steve apologized. “I could've been more tactful. Sorry, I was just excited. I'll leave and let you rest.” Carefully, he gave Wexley back to his mother. “See you tomorrow, little guy,” he spoke to the newborn royalty.

  Chapter 93

  “Three days ago, four people came into Casanovia, having traveled on foot from Celestial,” Commander Nereus spoke loudly as he stood on a raised platform in the middle of the city’s main square along with some of his top captains and the sentry team. Although it was only around the time of third meal, the sky was already darkening due to the seasons changing from fall to winter as over a thousand people gathered in attendance. They stood in a great circle around the platform, seeking to clear up the many rumors swirling around the events of the past few days. Those who elected not to come knew they would hear the news soon enough by word of mouth.

  “They informed Commander Lockland and Mayor Hughley that a man called the Hooded Phantom murdered King Zoran and that Celestial, Serendale, and Almiria have all been overtaken by the Phantom’s army of monsters. When the four revealed that a portion of that army is coming for Casanovia, Lockland sent out sentries, who returned earlier today and were able to confirm the validity of that information. The attack two days ago was carried out by the aerial monsters of this army, who sought to kill as many warriors as possible to simplify their takeover here.

  “Unfortunately, they succeeded. With little defense, we face an insurmountable enemy which our sentries estimate will be at our doorstep five days from now. We stand no chance to hold them off. I’ve met with all the captains of this city, and we’ve decided our best course of action is to abandon Casanovia and take refuge in Misengard.”

  Immediately, groans, gasps, shouts, and a chorus of “boos” came from the crowd. Standing among the many people voicing their thoughts, Ty, Shana, Grizz, Copper, and Ms. Latimer all looked around, unsure of what the general consensus was.

  After listening to the back-and-forth arguing for a few minutes, Ms. Latimer told the heroes, “It seems like half want to leave and half want to stay.”

  Holding his arms up to quiet the crowd down, Nereus continued, “I’m sure by now, all of you have heard that both Hughley and Lockland were killed in the recent attack. Knowing I was next in the line of succession and would be taking over as commander, Lockland’s last words to me were, ‘If the sentries return and say the army is headed here, get the people out. It’s the only way to save them.’”

  “He’s lying!” Shana complained to Ty and her mother. Before they or Grizz could hold her back, she started pushing her way towards Nereus as he continued to speak to the crowd.

  “Where is she going?” Ty asked Ms. Latimer, but Leiana had no idea what her daughter was up to.

  “Your new commander is lying to you!” Shana walked up the steps of the stage, interrupting the warrior mid-speech and calling out his bluff. “Evacuating was the exact opposite of what Commander Lockland wanted. His first instinct was to defend Casanovia.” Then, turning to confront Nereus directly, she seethed, “How dare you use the death of this city’s beloved commander to evoke the emotions of its citizens into doing what you think is best.”

  “Get her out of here!” Nereus ordered his men, angry at the disruption.

  When his warriors attempted to forcefully remove Shana from the platform, and with the Casanovians becoming unruly once again, Steve, in his red suit of armor, appeared at the back of the crowd. Cutting through the chaos, he hurried to the stage and pulled warriors off the newest member of their party.

  Once freed, Shana retaliated by punching one of the warriors who had been too aggressive with her. Again, Nereus’s men moved to restrain her and now Steve, but a man yelled from the crowd, “Let them speak!” When his request was taken up by others who wanted to hear what the two Humans had to say, the warriors had no choice but to give into the demanding crowd.

  “Shana is right,” Steve spoke as loudly and commandingly as he could to reach the entire audience. “We can’t abandon this city! This army plans to take over the entire kingdom and they’ve already succeeded with a quarter of it! If they take Casanovia, there’ll be nothing to stop them from continuing through the north.” Turning to face the commander, Steve directly spoke to him, but still loud enough for the crowd to hear. “It doesn’t matter if you flee to Misengard, or any other city, if we lose Casanovia, it won’t be long before everywhere else is overtaken.”

  “We have to make a stand!” Shana yelled. “I love this city too much to see it fall. Our only choice is to stay and fight!”

  “I love this city just as much,” Nereus stepped forward to challenge their arguement, “but I care more about the people of Casanovia than I do about anything else inside these four walls. Fifty-five years ago, this city experienced this same exact situation. My father was a warrior then. Casanovia heard word of an attack coming by Draviakhan and half of the city decided to retreat and take shelter elsewhere, while the other half stayed to fight. Luckily, my father was smart enough to leave, because, upon return, almost everyone who had stayed had been killed.

  “We don't want that to happen again!” he yelled angrily, looking directly at Steve, pleading with him to reconsider. “It's taken almost all this time to rebuild ourselves to what we used to be before Draviakhan's attack. We can’t make the same mistake we did in the past.”

  Finishing his speech, Nereus stated, “I know this is not what any of us expected, but its what needs to be done. Please spread word throughout the city that myself and many of the city’s warriors will be leaving for Misengard in the morning. That should give you all enough time to pack up whatever you hold most dear.”

  Not allowing the commander to get in the last word, and seeing that his warriors and sentries were crossing the platform to visually show that they sided with Nereus, Steve stepped forward and yelled, “And if you want to stay, meet us here tomorrow morning!”

  “I guess we'll have to see how many people side with them tomorrow,” Shana said, watching the crowd begin to disperse with everyone talking amongst themselves about what to do.

  “Excuse me,” a man came up to Steve and Shana, “You’re Shana Latimer, right? You worked as an aid to Mayor Hughley?”

  “That’s right.”

  “And you must be Stephen Brightflame. Commander Lock
land told me about you,” the man shook Steve’s hand. “My name is Rylan. I was one of the sentries sent out to gain intel on the army.”

  “You’re siding with us?” Steve asked, seeing that Nereus and the rest of the sentries were walking off the platform, being swarmed by civilians with dozens of questions which they refused to answer as they pushed through them all.

  “I am,” Rylan admitted. “And I want to say thank you to both of you for standing up to Commander Nereus. I was too shy to speak up when we met with him and his captains, but I believe we should stay and defend Casanovia. I'm from Celestial originally. I moved here only a few months ago but hearing secondhand how bad it was when the capital was destroyed, I want to help prevent this city from having to endure the same.”

  “Do you think we can defeat them?” Shana asked.

  “I think there's a chance,” Rylan said, but, he conditioned, “it depends on how many people stay. However, even if we lose, I think it’d still be worth it. We can put a major dent in their army and weaken them going forward. We can make it harder for them to overtake other cities.”

  I like the way he thinks, thought Steve. Just like Jun-Lei, he’s concerned about what’s best for the kingdom long-term.

  “Nice to see you out of the infirmary,” Ty said, coming up with Grizz to join Steve and Shana. Copper, who had been with him, was escorting Leiana Latimer back to her house.

  After Steve introduced Rylan to the group, he asked, “Can you tell us anything else about what you saw?”

  “The army is heading around the coast, so we confirmed they’ll be passing through Casanovia. They’re led by Silas and his eleven warriors.”

  Those must be the ones who helped him attack Celestial’s outer watchtowers before the siege and were the reason the city was too late in seeing the army marching on them.

  “I don’t know how,” Rylan continued, “but it appears Silas has control over the elements of fire and water. We watched him practicing his swordfighting against monsters. They had blunted weapons, but he had the Aurelian sword. He killed at least five of them in practice by our count.”