Elemental Courage

by M. W. McDonald

  “Open your eyes and stand. Keep your source in your mind.” William opened his eyes slowly. His vision seemed wreathed in a blue-white haze. His eyes focused and he realized the glow was radiating from his own chest and down through his arms to his hands. His veins glowed brighter with the energy his mind saw.

  “Am I…doing this?” William asked slowly.

  “You are,” Owen spoke stoically. “Your mind is unique. I am guessing your mind and source were somehow fused by your interaction with the vast quantities of rift energy you channeled. Your mind is essentially stuck in a position that most shamans wished they could attain occasionally.”

  “Occasionally?” William lost his focus, and the glow subsided. Owen looked at William solemnly.

  “If what I theorize is true then there are advantages and disadvantages to the way your mind will be forced to work,” Owen said.

  “Advantages and disadvantages? Like what?” William was staring at his hands where he had seen his veins glowing hotly, his skin appeared normal.

  “Well, one of the benefits is that you will generally have a tremendously quick reaction time. Your instincts will be able to visualize solutions to immediate problems much faster than most shamans.” Owen spoke, measuring William’s responses to his potential intentions.

  “What about the negative?” William asked unafraid, but extremely curious.

  “You are wired like a compelling all-or-nothing situation. If you used your abilities without practice, everything you conjure would be at full strength.” Owen’s voice was much more serious now.

  “Is that bad?” William asked as he found his focus again, the blue glow began to radiate from his chest.

  “No, I suppose it’s not bad if you want to draw the attention of every shaman with a pulse. Knowing your family history with power, I wouldn’t discount that too much actually.” Owen glanced up at the smooth surface of the hidden view stone and smiled broadly. William’s voice regained his attention.

  “So what do I do?” William was putting full trust into Owen’s hands. Owen sighed.

  “It will take far more work than I had originally anticipated fine-tuning your abilities. All we can do for now is practice.” With that, Owen took a step backward. The stone then instantly started rolling like perfectly tuned ball bearings, propelling him back along its surface. It carried him the distance of a football field in just seconds.

  “Prepare yourself, William,” Owen yelled. He raised his arms deliberately as massive waves of dirt, rock and debris rolled from the earth and barreled down on William.

  “Protect yourself, William.” William’s mind froze, so he turned and ran from the waves. He had to get away. He had to get out. His mind was blank, and he was panicking. He quickly approached the entrance to the hallways leading from the chamber. The largest of the crystalline constructs blocked his path and kept him in the training chamber.

  “Stand your ground. Imagine a way for your energy to stop the waves. Picture it in your mind and make it happen.” Owen yelled over the earthen roar of the waves of debris. The roar of the earthen tsunami grew louder and louder, closer and closer. William looked around quickly trying to find a way out. He was trapped. Waves came at him from all angles, he reeled back and hit his back against the wall of the chamber. Sweat poured from his face, and his hands shook with adrenaline. The waves were upon him now, just a few seconds left before he would be entombed forever. William’s eyes suddenly erupted with a white flame born of survival. William screamed out in frustration and desperation as a massive beam of crackling white energy exploded outwards from William’s chest, cutting the waves down like a knife. The beam passed right through the waves of earth effortlessly and slammed into Owen. The energy hurled the colossal man across the chamber like a rag doll. Massive stone hands grew from the wall and caught Owen in mid-air. Owen looked down at his chest shaking the stars from his eyes. His chest was smoldering, and his shirt was shredded. He looked up at William as the hands set him down on the ground slowly. William was on his knees, apparently overwhelmed. Owen smiled at him and laughed.

  “Not quite what I meant. Killing me would have stopped the waves though.” He winced as he spoke, his chest really hurt. The boy was strong, very strong. The thought of someone being his equal, even potentially stronger, thrilled Owen.

  “Let’s try that again,” Owen said as William heard the rumble of the earth once more. William stared at Owen like he was nuts.

  37

  The shade felt stronger than it had felt in centuries. It was driven by the voice from within the pulsating blood ruby, spurred on in its decision of destruction by that same voice. It had brought the world of the shamans into the light. News of the shade spread quickly amongst the secretive circles of the practitioners and teachers of the old ways. Distrust and miscommunication bred war between the elements. Each element thought the shade was brought to the other side as a means to shift the balance of power.

  To the average person, the activities of the shade were classified as the murderous rampages of an unknown number of assailants. Bloody swathes were cut from the ranks of the shamans. Any person that had even the smallest portions of ability were sought after and consumed in delicious bites. Their essences were harvested for later use. It took the shamans too long to form a collective front against the shade. The schools were divided by age-old feuds, the petty bickering made for easy targets. Squabbles that broke out over the most inane subjects resulted in summoning the ever-watching shade.

  Those that weren’t consumed went into hiding, wearing two, three and sometimes four limiters to buy even a little time. If someone appeared with a trace of power, they were quickly snuffed out.

  The pickings have been scarce these last few weeks. The Shade of Khorynn sat on its obsidian throne, its body motionless as its mind raced. The runes on its robe pulsed and flowed regularly. It had encountered a previously unforeseen obstacle during a hunting of a more powerful shaman. The shaman itself wasn’t a concern and was consumed slowly, and the shade savored its memories. His essence was rich with knowledge and power that was virtually unused because of an accident that had sealed them off. The shaman was helpless against the shade, and the shadow took its time. No, that wasn’t the problem. The robed one had encountered another darkness at the edge of an older forest in Vermont. It stood off at a great distance, but the Shade of Khorynn could feel the dark voyeur watching. The robed-one appeared from its shadows, trying to gauge the power of the opposing shade, thinking of its next meal. The Shade of Khorynn could feel only one thing from it. It was ancient, far older than itself. A feeling of dread emanated from the pendant around its neck.

  “Get out of there, NOW!” The voice from within the pendant was heavy with fear, pleading the shade to obey. The necklace clearly recognized the other shade.

  “He will destroy you! All of your hard work will be for naught. You must consume the Archmage before you can take him!” The pendant screamed. “It’s for your own survival. Listen to your mother, leave now!” The shade of Khorynn sank back into its shadows. It never broke its stare in the direction of the other shade until it disappeared into the abyss and howled off into the blackness of night.

  Now back in its throne room, it stood up. It turned to face the most massive wall of volcanic glass behind the elaborate chair. The shade made an arc with an arm, and the wall parted, the glass separated and opened like massive doors. They revealed an enormous blood ruby with the silhouette of a woman inside it. It was a pristine ruby of immeasurable value with zero flaws save one. The bottom corner of the ruby had been chipped off to create the pendant the shade now wore around its neck. The woman inside of the gem was beautiful; she wore elaborate robes that inspired the shade’s own design, exquisite bracelets adorned her wrists and upper arms. A brilliant blue sapphire necklace was in stark contrast to the consuming red of the ruby.

  “Who was the other shade?” The robed-one hissed. It hated being left out of the loop. The large ruby pulsed as the woman
’s voice echoed from the gem and into the hall. It seemed frantic.

  “We were reckless he will find you-- us. He will consume us both.” Khorynn continued.

  “Who issss it?” The voice hissed again, its patience wearing thin. Khorynn’s voice was calmer and more collected now.

  “No one knows his actual name, but he had many names over the millennia. In my time he was the Deathbringer, in other times he has been called the ferryman, the Black Death and in this time he is called the Grim Reaper. He was the first enchanter of shamanic culture, and he was aligned with the shadow element. His thirst for power led him to attempt a forbidden black rite. A summoning of a demon that was never meant to be attempted, the very knowledge of the rite was said to bring insanity to the mind that holds it. Nevertheless, he summoned that demon but was quickly overpowered by it. His soul was shredded, and his body was possessed.” The shade was silent, its eyes narrowed in thought. It needed more energy. It searched through the memories of the slain shaman whose essence now coursed through its shadowy tendrils.

  “We need a different strategy,” Khorynn said shadows of the shade echoed the sentiment. The shade lowered its head and turned around quickly. It walked passed its throne and stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

  “What are you doing?” The pendant asked. The shade didn’t answer. It stood in the center of the immense hall and held its arms out to its sides as it tilted its head back. The shadows from within the room converged on the Shade of Khorynn. An impossible number of shadow figures leaped from their abyssal homes and passed into the shade, The robes slowly shortened, as more shadows poured into the shade. A human arm and leg were revealed by the shortening robes. The outstretched arms of the shade shook in concentration as the last remnants of the shadow in the room were absorbed into the darkness. The cowl slowly fell back, and the blackness receded from the skin of the now human form. The shade lowered its arms and flexed its joints as if for the first time. It materialized a cane out of the left overshadow and looked up. The face of an old man now stared at the large blood ruby. The memories of this façade spoke of a friend of extreme power. Excitement filled this form.

  “What have you done?!” The voice said, extremely angry.

  “We…are going to get a limiter made.” The memory of the recently killed shaman revealed the location of a master earth smith in Arizona. It felt out the memories of someone whose essence would be a tipping point for the shade. A silent understanding formed between the ruby and the form of the old man. The ruby began to pulse with maniacal laughter as the old man descended into the shadows and raced off towards Arizona.

  38

  Dyaina found herself holding her breath as she watched the scene unfold through the view stone. An explosion erupted from the center of the room. Debris showered the view stone like hail. William was standing in the crater the explosion had left behind. His arms were outstretched and softly glowing in a shell of protection that seemed to emanate from his hands. Even Dyaina had to admit William’s training was going far better than she could have hoped. William was like a sponge, he absorbed any information or technique that his trainers provided. It had been two weeks now since they had arrived, and already William had been close to beating Owen. Their ‘mock’ battles were truly epic in scale. To the typical observer, they looked like they were merely trying to kill each other.

  Dyaina could feel the careful restraint of both men. This morning, Owen and Renai decided to duo against William. It started out the same as every other session. Owen and Renai gauged William’s strength with a few weaker conjurations that he would have to counter. The fight quickly escalated into a brawl of the elements. William showed promise with the earth element, and he seemed to be coming around to the subtle intricacies of the wind element. Dyaina was proud of her boy; he seemed to be holding his own, even against the powers that shook the large training chamber. He appeared unscathed. William’s stamina had vastly improved, and while he was breathing heavily, he didn’t seem winded like he had before. He even maintained decent breathing control when Renai had summoned a collection of twisters and air pressure that had caused the crater he was standing in now. Dyaina could see that his control over his power was growing. It certainly made things easier to detect when William’s power was visibly cascading off of him as white crackling energy that scorched and cracked the ground. He had such incredible power, and he was still learning.

  “Good William,” Renai said. Wind and small debris circled her. She watched the boy, now enveloped in white energy waiting for his reaction. Owen had submerged into the rock like it was water a few minutes ago. Renai watched the boy, alone.

  She could feel his muscles tighten, preparing for another attack, she forecasted his movement. William looked at her surprised. He couldn’t move a single inch, and to top it all off, he now saw the energy in the room seep into the ground. That energy was undoubtedly finding Owen. Renai stepped to the side as a fountain of earth rose from the ground a hundred feet from William. It formed into a solid, massive fist before quickly barreled down on William. William struggled against the tendrils of air that held him in place. Sweat formed on Renai’s brow.

  “He has become so strong so fast, I can barely hold him.” Renai thought to herself.

  William smiled, remembering. He propelled himself backward as he had seen Owen do, the earth turned into ball bearings carrying him quickly across the room. The earthen appendage slammed down where he had just stood. It made a splash of earth and disappeared beneath the rock floor, only to re-emerge from a new location and barrel down on him again. William was still not far enough away to break Renai’s hold on him. He closed his eyes a moment and a giant wall of earth, 15 feet high and 4 feet thick, erupted from the ground to the protect him. The roar of the earth was loud in William’s ears now, he braced for the impact.

  The fist slammed into the wall and passed through it like it was never there. The vast amounts of earth consumed the boy on the other side.

  “Training is over for today,” Owen said as he emerged from the floor closest to Renai. “You can’t stop my earth attacks with earth defenses William; the stronger of the two will win out, and in this case my earth trumps yours. Nice effort though.” Owen raised a giant hand and the debris split, he looked for the boy’s body, but he couldn’t find it. Owen smiled.

  “Clever boy.” Owen said as he looked at Renai, “He’s not out of it yet.” Renai was listening intently to the winds. She heard the whisper of laughter. Just then a pillar of earth launched her into the air as two more hands emerged quickly and came together in a massive clap with Renai caught between them.

  “Owen!” Renai cried before the hands met, she fell to the ground in a heap the debris from the stone hands caused her to fall much slower. William’s eyes glowed brilliantly at Owen as he emerged from the ground facing the man. Owen was shaking with rage, he had to calm himself.

  “She will live, she’s unconscious,” William said, his voice had an odd echoing, ethereal quality to it. The energy poured from his body in excess. “I held back.” Owen took in the sight in front of him. His wife was laying on the ground, half buried but breathing. A few feet from her stood William. Owen was determined to do what was necessary to train the boy, he was even prepared to kill him if he chose to follow Khorynn’s path. Owen realized now as tremendous amounts of energy crackled and blackened the ground around William that he couldn’t stop the boy if he wanted to. Their training had made him efficient, and he already thought outside of the box, and that made him dangerous.

  “Training is over,” Owen said. William let his concentration dwindle, and his glow subsided. William walked over to Renai and picked her up. William walked up to Owen quietly and placed Renai in his arms. Renai’s eyes fluttered, and Owen brushed some dirt off her face with his thumb. William looked at Owen expectantly.

  “Training again tomorrow?” William asked.

  “No” Owen still watched Renai’s face. He could feel the damage in her body, he al
most lost her. Had it not been for the restraint Owen had taught William early, she would have been dead. “No, you have learned enough from me.” William looked down, disappointed.

  “But I need more-“ He began.

  “You don’t need more, you want more. You have mastered the basics already. Build onto those, and you can do anything.”

  “But-“ William said, Owen, cut him off.

  “No, you are more than capable of beating Ren and me, and you can do it wearing those.” Owen pointed to William’s wrists. He was wearing the limiters that David had put on him after he had saved his mother.

  “They’re just limiters,” William said.

  “No, no they aren’t.” Owen began walking to the hallway carrying his wife. William followed. Your father was afraid of your power, so he put those on you. On a lesser shaman, those would dry their energy up. Those are the strongest limiters I have ever made. Those are supposed to hinder all essence flow out. I don’t know how the rift energy changed your blood, but it did. Limiters are meant to stop the flow of elemental essence out. Fire, water, wind, earth, and shadow. When you are focused, you are energy. There isn’t an element you cling to or prioritize, you are just energy. While they are limiting your attacks as they should you simply have too much energy and it overloads them. They can’t limit everything you output, and it’s a frightening thing.” Owen turned the corner and walked to his bedroom to put Renai in bed.

  “I will be out in a minute, we have to talk.” Owen looked over his shoulder to speak to William. William nodded and looked at his wrists, the dull white gems in the bracelets seemed innocent enough. These bracelets were innocuous except for the fact that they had a brilliant silver lock on them without a keyhole so he was unable to remove them. Owen emerged shortly after putting Renai into bed to regenerate.