A Child of Two Worlds

by Mark Cole

  “The Cat’s Eye Crystal is a perfect sphere measuring forty feet around. As far as any can tell, although it lacks any kind of preservation cast on it, the stone cannot be scratched or broken by any tool or magic.”

  “May I touch it?” Alex asked, stretching his hand out toward the stone. Timothy nodded. Alex ran his hand along the smooth orange crystal. It was warm even on the cool winter day. He felt something strange about the stone, like it held some mystery in its depths.

  Alex looked at Timothy. “This is amazing,” he said.

  “That it is.” He looked pointedly at Alex’s sword. “Let us see if we can find you something to make carrying that sword of yours a little easier.”

  He led Alex to a leatherworker next door to a weaponsmith. The experienced leatherworker quickly found a baldric that would fit the thick wooden blade. Alex slipped the baldric over his head. The leather strap across his chest was the perfect length, and he cinched the belt comfortably at his waist.

  He slid the sword into the scabbard at his hip. “Perfect,” Alex said. “How much?”

  The leatherworker had been treating him very deferentially the entire time he was in the shop. “For you? Free. Bartolo would be happy just knowing he helped the Guardian.”

  The Guardian, Alex thought. “Uh, Thanks.”

  Timothy led him out of the store and continued to show him around the town.

  “Are you an elf?” Alex asked.

  Timothy looked at him. “I am.”

  “I’ve never seen an elf before. Do your people really live forever?”

  Timothy laughed. “No, we don’t. Elves live between four and five centuries. I’m on my third century of life.”

  “Wow,” Alex said. “What is it like living for so long?”

  “What is it like living for seventy or eighty years?” Timothy asked.

  “I don’t know. It’s normal to live for that long. That’s just the way it is.”

  “Exactly,” the elf answered. “Even though what is normal for a human and elf in terms of lifespan are different, it is all they know. It is like asking a butterfly what it is like to only live a few days.”

  Alex nodded in understanding as they continued to walk. “Um, I don’t mean to insult you, but what kind of a name is Timothy? I didn’t know elves had such… normal names.”

  Timothy laughed. “You give me no offense. Would you prefer my full name, Tym’drioth’jialvy Eldu’vain?”

  Alex scratched the back of his head. “Gotcha. Timothy it is.” They came upon a large number of people training with weapons of every type.

  “These are the training grounds,” Timothy said. “Many train here on a number of different weapons and techniques. My duties also include training swordsmen.”

  Alex smirked and looked at Timothy. “Well, since it looks like the sword is how I’m going to be doing all of my fighting, would you like to spar?”

  Timothy looked at him doubtfully. “I think you are not fully recovered. Maybe you should try sparring with one of the students.”

  “I feel healthy as an ox,” Alex said as he stretched. “It’s been a long time since I fought a master of the blade. I would be honored to learn from you.”

  Timothy acquiesced and stepped onto the field. He pulled two practice pads from a rack and handed one to Alex. “Wrap your blade in this,” he said.

  Alex drew his wooden sword and wrapped it with the thick pad. He swung it a few times to get the feel for the new weight. Confident in his control, he squared off against the elf.

  “You aren’t holding that kind of blade correctly. You need to move your hands closer together and hold it farther from your body,” Timothy said. “Its slight curve and lack of a fuller means that the sword will be brittle. It’s designed for fast slashing motions designed to cut skin.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow. “You understand that it’s a wooden sword, right? It’s not going to cut any skin anyway.”

  Timothy shrugged. “Even with a practice weapon, you should endeavor to use it correctly.”

  He’s right. Alex shifted his grip and changed his stance.

  Timothy looked him over from head to toe and nodded. “Begin.”

  Alex rushed at the elf, and Timothy side-stepped him with ease, striking him in the calf with his padded weapon. The blow made his leg sting, and Alex spun about.

  Timothy had lowered his weapon and looked at Alex sideways. “Are you certain you do not want to spar with one of the students?”

  “Yeah. It’s just been a while.” Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His father’s voice began to whisper in his mind. Stop rushing, boy. Slow down and open your eyes. Alex opened his eyes and analyzed Timothy’s stance and their surroundings.

  The elf lifted his sword and eased into a relaxed stance. “Begin.”

  Alex darted forward and took a measured swing. Timothy deflected the attack, and Alex avoided his counter attack. He ducked low and tried to strike the elf again with an upward swing. Timothy danced back, narrowly avoiding the blow. Before he could straighted himself back up, Timothy was back, and Alex was struck on the shoulder.

  “That was better,” the weapon master said. “Your footwork was cleaner, but you shouldn’t have put yourself off balance and gambled your life on your second attack. I think you have more.” Timothy set himself into a more guarded stance. “Show me.”

  Come on, man. I can do this. I need to be faster, more fluid. Alex moved forward at a more calculated rate, and he swung his sword at Timothy’s. The elf parried the attack and struck out at Alex, but he was ready.

  Alex deflected the thrust and swung his weapon high at Timothy’s head. The elf ducked under the swing, and Alex had to jump over Timothy’s attack. Back and forth, they went for a six exchanges, but Alex was struck again. He hissed in pain and frustration.

  “It does seem that you’ve had some training,” Timothy said. “But you’ve a way to go before you can call yourself a weapon master.” A few of the trainees that Alex hadn’t noticed gathering laughed.

  I’m better than this! I almost got Dad a couple of times, and he was as good as Timothy. “I can do better,” Alex said. He squared off against Timothy again.

  The elf studied Alex’s face and stance before lifting his scimitar. “You needn’t push yourself so hard, Alex.”

  “Yes, I do.” I have to. For her sake.

  “Very well. Begin.”

  Alex launched a thrust at the weapon master. The attack was picked off before it came close, and Timothy countered with a back handed swing aimed at Alex’s ribs. He deflected the blade and stepped back.

  He swung hard at Timothy’s head, but the elf blocked the strike and kicked out at Alex’s chest. He sidestepped kick and swung at Timothy’s neck, his sword whistling with speed.

  Timothy ducked under the swing and thrusted. Alex sidestepped again and kicked up at Timothy’s face. The weapon master slapped Alex’s foot away with his free hand, knocking Alex off balance. He rolled away from a swing, putting distance between himself and Timothy. Before he could get his feet set, Timothy was all over him.

  Alex parried and dodged frantically trying to keep from being hit and leaned back to keep from being struck on the side of the head. He caught a vicious kick on the side of his knee and collapsed to the ground.

  Timothy brought his sword down in an overhead chop, but Alex was able to bring his sword up in time to block the blow. Alex kicked Timothy in the ankle, knocking the blade master from his feet. Alex scrambled away and stood up.

  Timothy faced him. “Where did this come from?”

  “Knocked off the cobwebs.” Alex held his sword in front of him with both hands. He launched a mighty blow at Timothy. The blade master deflected the hit and launched an attack of his own. The two swordsmen spun and attacked and dodged. They flew around each other like leaves on a breeze.

  Their swords were a blur as each attacked the other. Alex heard in his mind. The mental intrusion ca
ught Alex off guard, causing him to hesitate for a split second.

  That was all it took for a stinging hit on the arm.

  “Hit,” Alex called, stopping the session. He was surrounded by sudden applause. The few people watching had grown to a considerable crowd. Men walked up to him and clapped him on the shoulders and back. He was drenched with sweat and panting despite the cold air. Timothy was equally winded.

  Alex accepted congratulations from all around. Timothy walked up and led him through the crowd. “That was better than most of them have done,” Timothy said with a laugh. “But I think you could have done better. Why did you pause?”

  “I think my sword talks,” Alex said.

  “Of course it does,” Timothy said jokingly, patting him on the shoulder. “Either way, you did very well.”

  This hardly seems like the same man from earlier, Alex thought. He said what was on his mind.

  Timothy nodded. “I did not yet know you,” he said simply. “But, by crossing blades with you, I see you hold no malice in your heart. You are a good man, Guardian.”

  “Why do people keep calling me that? First it was Bartolo, the leatherworker, then the trainees, and now you.”

  Timothy turned to him, a confused look on his face. “You carry the Guardian’s Blade, given to you by Lady Duval, and you are an expert swordsman. The Nexus did bring you to help fight Azreal, did she not?”

  Finally, someone who isn’t tight lipped about Terra. “Of course,” Alex said. “Lady Duval, what can you tell me about her? Where is she from?”

  “I know the same as anyone, I suppose. She was born in the Arcane City long ago. She went to the Realm of Balance five years ago to find the Guardian of Balance and use any means necessary to bring him back. Seeing as how you are here, she was successful.”

  Bring me back by any means necessary, Alex thought. Terra couldn’t have been lying to me this entire time… A flood of emotions began to crash through him as those words repeated in his head. The flush of wellbeing from the healing fled his body. “Timothy, I’m tired, and I would like to eat something and sleep,” Alex said.

  “Very well,” the blade master said. “We shall return to the manor. Food can be brought to you in your room.”

  Alex nodded woodenly as he followed Timothy back to the manor.

  Chapter Five - On Wings of Light

  The soft crunch of dead winter grass and dirt accompanied Terra and Kris as they crept from shadow to shadow through the outskirts of Starfall.

  “Mistress,” Kris whispered, “I don’t understand. Why are we hiding from everyone?”

  “No one can know I’m back, and where I am, Kris,” Terra replied quietly. The pixie glanced about before beckoning her on. “The only person that needs to know is Silvia. I have to let her know I failed so we can come up with another plan.”

  Terra looked from each shadow to the next, not knowing if someone was waiting within to spoil her stealth. She would not have been able to make it into Starfall at all had it not been for Kris. Pixies could see in absolute darkness as easily as the brightest day, and it had enabled them to make it past all of the sentries outside the town without using magic. Any spells Terra would have cast would be like shooting up a flare to announce her presence.

  The gnawing pain of Alex’s death dug at her, but Terra buried it under a seething mass of rage. Her fingernails dug painfully into her hand, and her ribs ached, making each breath a gamble on just how deep to breathe. I will find a way to kill Azreal. I must find a way…

  A few more minutes of sneaking through Starfall brought the pair to the square that held the Cat’s Eye. The prodigious stone glowed pale orange in the moonlight.

  “There’s Fanglady Shadowpaw’s manor,” Kris said. He studied their surroundings. “There is no one out, and all the windows are barred against the cold. You should be able to stroll right up and walk in.”

  Terra put her hand on the pixie’s shoulder. It Dwarfed his small frame. “Why aren’t you coming with me? What happened?”

  The abashed look on Kris’s face spoke volumes. “I said something… hurtful that angered Silvia, and I do not wish to invoke her wrath by my mere presence.”

  “What did you say?”

  The pixie wouldn’t meet her eye. “I don’t think now is the right time for that. This late, none will be awake. I should be away.” Kris shook her hand from his shoulder and was off into the night before she could say anything to stop him.

  Terra walked across the square and mounted the steps to the doors of the manor. She paused at the door before pushing it open. I could run into anyone in those hallways, and anyone in there would recognize me. Terra walked back down the steps and went around to the side of the building where she remembered Silvia kept her rooms.

  The room was dark; the lights inside extinguished, but Terra remembered Silvia had always been a light sleeper. She flipped back the hood of her stolen cloak and tapped on the window. Pale light immediately filled the room. The lacy curtains adorning the window were pulled aside, and Silvia opened the window with a look of relief on her face. She offered Terra a hand up and pulled her inside.

  Terra waited for Silvia to close the window before speaking. “Are you just letting anyone in to your rooms in the dead of night nowadays, Silvia?”

  The leader of the Changelings of the Fang smiled. “Only when I know who it is. You never were one to sit back and be rescued.” Silvia sniffed. “You stink, Terra.”

  She pulled off the black cloak and threw it on the ground. Confusion began to bubble up beneath her emotional armor. “How did you know I was going to be coming here? How did you even know I was back?”

  Silvia eyed the cloak with disgust. She looked back at Terra. “The Guardian said you had been brought here.”

  Terra froze. She put shaking hands on Silvia’s shoulders. “Is Alex here?” she whispered.

  “He is,” Silvia said. “He killed a hellhound with the Wrathblade, and then carried Caitlyn seventy miles in a day. He saved my sister’s life. I have great news, Sister. Timothy and I…” She trailed off when she saw the look on Terra’s face. “What’s wrong?”

  “I thought he was dead,” Terra said. “The shaman said he had killed Alex.” Confused happiness and pain echoed through her.

  Silvia shook her head and smiled. “He’s fine. But you should know, there was a… misunderstanding about how much to tell him just yet. Alex thinks you lied to him about being in love to manipulate him into coming here.”

  Terra frowned. “How do you know that?”

  “Timothy told him you went to Earth to find the Guardian and bring him back by any means necessary. Alex got the wrong idea. I tried to speak with him earlier, but he didn’t want to listen to me.”

  “I’ll talk to Alex. Take me to him.”

  Alex was in such a daze he didn’t remember eating dinner. The only clue he had that he’d eaten was the empty tray on the desk next to the window. He hadn’t lit any of the lamps in the room and sat in shadow, the only light coming through the window. It offered a good view of the Cat’s Eye crystal in the square.

  Use any means to bring him back, echoed in Alex’s ears as loudly as a gunshot. I can’t believe she would have manipulated me into loving her to bring me here. She could have just told me, and I would have come willingly. Alex’s anger seethed under the surface as he brooded, staring out the window at the gem.

  He watched as the gem drew the light of the setting sun into it. He thought about what he would do when he saw Terra. The moon rose, casting everything outside into shades of black and white. A woman walked past the Cat’s Eye toward the manor, but he didn’t hear a knock at the nearby door.

  The Cat’s Eye seemed to give off a soft orange glow. Alex pulled on his boots and walked outside to stand before the gem. He stood beside the stone and reached out a hand to it. Even though the sun had been down for a couple of hours and the night was cool, the gemstone was still warm to the touch. He felt the warmth travel up his arm and heat hi
s entire body.

  “You shouldn’t let such things bother you, Alex,” a voice from behind said. He didn’t need to turn around to know it was Silvia.

  He let his hand slide away from the Cat’s Eye before responding. “Come to try talking to me again? What makes you think something is bothering me?” Alex asked.

  “I lead an alliance of changelings, humans, elves, and other races. I wouldn’t have been much of a leader if I couldn’t tell someone was upset.”

  “I suppose,” Alex said with a shrug. “How do you know what’s bothering me?

  “Timothy told me,” Silvia said as she walked to his side and put a hand on his shoulder. “Did you stop to think that maybe she had a reason for not telling you?”

  “Like what?” Alex said as he glanced over his shoulder at the Fanglady. She leaned against one of the four white columns that flanked the entrance to her home. “That it was hard to explain? Or she didn’t want me to run away screaming about a crazy person?” He faced the monolithic gemstone and peered into its depths.

  Alex’s heart skipped a beat when a different voice cut through the night. “Or I fell in love with you and didn’t want you to die?”

  Alex’s muscles stiffened, and he slowly turned. Terra stood on the manor’s steps. Tears ran down her face, and the moonlight made them shimmer as they fell. She ran to Alex and threw her arms around him.

  “I thought you had died,” Terra sobbed into his chest.

  Holding her in his arms, Alex felt the anger he had been stoking all day fade away. He realized how cruel and senseless all the things he had been planning on saying were. “It’s all right, Terra. I’m fine. There’s no need to worry. I’m right here.”

  She looked up into his green eyes, her hazel ones red-rimmed. “I really do love you, Alex. Silvia told me what Timothy said and what you thought, but that’s not the truth. I love you with all my heart.”

  Alex stroked her hair and smiled at her. “I know you do, Beautiful,” he said. “I love you too. I was wrong to think that. But it would have been nice to know about all of this. I almost did die. Twice.”