Everflame: The Complete Series

by Dylan Lee Peters

  “Oh Even, he’ll come back to us, won’t he?”

  “Of course he will, Goldie. Of course he will.”

  FIRE

  Chapter 8: Regret

  The world is cracking apart. It can’t exist this way much longer. I feel guilty. I feel like this is my fault. I never should have let this happen. I should have fought. I could have found a way, I know that I could have. But now… It’s too late.

  This world has run its course, or at least it doesn’t have much longer. Humans are a failure. My failure. I have failed them… Am I wrong? I wish that I were. I wish we had seen this coming. How could we have been so blind to forget about it? Forget that it might care? That it might wish to be involved? That it was more powerful than the rest of us combined? We were so naive, so self-assured and so wrong. We were so wrong to ignore it… and so wrong to discard him.

  If I could start it all over, I would have kept him. How could we have thrown him away like so much trash? He was ours, our creation, we owed him so much more and now…

  Everything will die.

  I will die.

  For myself, it will be just, as it is my fault. But as for the rest? This is not justice. This is as wrong as I was. Alas, what hope is there?

  Men are dead.

  They just don’t know it yet.

  Chapter 9: Need

  Edgar hated when his mother had him run errands. He would purposefully try to make himself scarce when he could see that supplies were low. It wasn’t that Edgar Shein was a lazy child. It was simply that Edgar Shein was an unpopular child, and the bullies would always find him when he went into the village alone. Especially Pritchard Barton. Pritchard Barton had already bloodied Edgar's nose on three occasions, as well as stolen money from him and even embarrassed him by taking his clothing, forcing him to run home nude. Edgar's mother, Rachael, felt horrible about how her son was tormented, but with Edgar's father gone so often on long trips, she had little choice but to send Edgar on errands.

  Edgar’s black locks hung past his eyes as he walked into the village of Hammlin. Gazing down at his feet as he walked, the small, pale boy looked miserable. He knew he had to help his mother. He didn’t blame her at all. It was his father he blamed. Edgar's father, Joe, worked for the Holy. He was a missionary and he had been gone for more of Edgar’s life than he had been present for. The boy resented him for it. He felt Joe should be at home, taking care of him and his mother, not off in other lands. Edgar didn’t even feel right calling him father.

  As Edgar started passing houses in the village, he changed his posture. He couldn’t afford to hang his head now. He had to be on the lookout at all times. As his eyes surveyed his surroundings, he wished that his father were there. But as Pritchard Barton’s yellow teeth came sneering around the corner of the blacksmith’s shop, Edgar’s sentiment changed and he cursed his father’s name.

  “You know, I would have thought, by now, you’d just stop showing your ugly face around here, Shein.”

  Edgar reacted the same way that he always did when he saw Pritchard Barton. He kept his head straight, walked as fast as he could and prayed to the Holy that this would be the time that Barton let him go. Unfortunately, as they always did, Edgar’s prayers went unanswered.

  “I’m talkin’ to you, you little insect,” shouted Barton as he picked up a stone along the side of the road and hurled it at Edgar, hitting him on the shoulder.

  Pain shot through Edgar’s shoulder and arm but he didn’t stop walking. Please make him stop. Please make him stop, thought Edgar. However, Pritchard Barton wasn’t alone today. His crony, Joe Stockton, was with him and Pritchard loved to show off.

  “I think the little girl’s gone deaf,” laughed Stockton.

  “He ain’t deaf…yet,” sneered Barton as he picked up another stone.

  “Put that stone down, you little bastard!” Murray the Blacksmith came rumbling out of his shop and grabbed Pritchard Barton by his ear. “If I catch either of you little hooligans terrorizing people again, you’ll get the back of my hand. Got it?”

  Murray released Prichard’s ear and the boy almost tripped over himself in retreat. Scuffling in the street and kicking up dust, the two bullies ran away as fast as they could. Edgar couldn’t help but grin due to the shocked and embarrassed look on Pritchard’s pimpled face, the bully’s fat cheeks turning scarlet. The smith walked over to where Edgar stood and put his big hand on the boy’s shoulder.

  “You all right, boy?”

  “I’m fine, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

  Edgar looked up into the big man’s bearded face. Murray was an intimidating man and although he had just helped Edgar, the boy wasn’t exactly comfortable in his presence.

  “You running errands for your mum again?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “Well,” and Murray extended his hand down the road, “let’s get em done then, shall we?” Edgar couldn’t believe his luck. The blacksmith had stopped Pritchard Barton and now he was escorting him through the village, just like his own personal guard. “What do you need to get today, Edgar?”

  “Mum asked for salt, sugar, and bread,” answered the boy.

  “Where’s your dad gone off to this time, eh?”

  “Don’t know, Sir… He never says.”

  Murray grumbled to himself. It was obvious to Edgar that the blacksmith felt the same way that he did about his father’s absence. Edgar had begun to feel much better, but with the topic of his father back in his mind, he was falling back into a depression.

  “How’s your mum doing up at the farm?” asked Murray.

  “She’s all right, Sir. Busy, but doing fine.”

  “Now that’s enough of that sir stuff. I appreciate the manners and it goes to show your mum’s doing a good job with you, but you can call me Murray. Sound good?”

  “Yes, s- I mean, Murray.”

  Murray smiled down at the boy as they entered the bakery and Edgar smiled back. Once Edgar had purchased what he needed, and he and Murray had returned to where the blacksmith’s shop was located, Murray stopped and looked down at Edgar.

  “I got something inside the shop I wanna show you before you go back to your mum.”

  Edgar nodded his head and the two of them left the cobblestone road and walked into the shop. Sunlight came through the windows of the blacksmith’s shop, revealing a good amount of dust in the air. The shop was rather dingy and it seemed obvious to Edgar that Murray didn’t clean things very often.

  “I live just through that door, there at the back of the shop. It’s small, but it’s just me, so I figured there’s no sense in having a whole house. What I wanted to show you is back there. Follow me.”

  Edgar followed Murray through the door into his living quarters. Murray wasn’t being modest when he said it was small. There was a bed, a table and a chair, what looked like a closet with a curtain hanging in front of it, and a door that Edgar assumed led outside to an outhouse. There was leftover food still on the table and the bed had not been made. Edgar was not used to such untidiness, and as children sometimes do, he let his curiosity get the best of him.

  “Why don’t you have a wife, Murray?”

  Murray looked down at the boy sullenly and pursed his lips. Edgar suddenly realized that he should have kept his mouth shut.

  “Well,” Murray said with a sigh, “I was married for a time. Her name was Andrea. She was the most beautiful woman in the village.” Murray then turned away from Edgar. “But she took ill and passed on a couple of years ago.” Edgar was ashamed of himself and began to say he was sorry, but Murray cut him off. “Enough about the past. Let me show you what’s in the closet.”

  Suddenly, Edgar realized that he was in a strange man’s house and became uneasy. Murray had been nice to him and had helped him, but he didn’t know him that well and wondered if it wasn’t a mistake to follow him into his shop. Murray reached the closet and turned to Edgar with a smile, and when he saw the cautious look on Edgar’s face, he chuckled.

&nbs
p; “Come on, boy. I ain’t gonna hurt ye.” Murray began to draw the curtain to the side and said, “Now be quiet. I think they’re sleeping.”

  As Murray moved the curtain aside, Edgar’s eyes lit up. Lying at the floor of the closet was a female wolfhound with five pups, all huddled together.

  “The big one’s name is Tiffa.” As Murray spoke, one of the puppies lifted his head from his mother’s leg and walked over to Edgar, wagging his tail.

  “Can I pick him up?” asked Edgar.

  “Course you can. Go ahead.”

  Edgar bent down and picked up the puppy. It was like a big ball of brown fuzz. Edgar held the dog in his arms and it licked his face.

  “What’s his name?” asked Edgar.

  “Well, he doesn’t have one yet,” said Murray. “Thought you might want to give him one, since he’s yours now.”

  Edgar looked up at Murray, slack-jawed, the puppy still licking his face.

  “Really?”

  “Yep. He’s yours. I can’t take care of all these dogs. Plus, he likes you.”

  Edgar’s face lit up and he slumped down to the floor, letting the little, brown puppy bounce all around him.

  “There’s something else I want you to have, Edgar.” Murray reached under the mattress of his bed and pulled out a small dagger with a black handle and a red stone on the hilt. “Now, that Pritchard Barton is a sight bigger than you, his head’s not right and he don’t fight fair. Anytime your mum sends you on errands, you can come see me first and we’ll go together, but I might not always be here. So, I think that you should keep this with you.”

  Murray handed the dagger to Edgar and the red stone shined bright as Edgar held it in his hands.

  “I don–”

  “Hear me out, Edgar. I’m not saying you should attack Pritchard Barton, but if he puts you in a dangerous situation, that dagger might be your only way out… Not everybody knows right from wrong, Edgar. Far worse, sometimes people think that they do, when they really don’t. It’s okay to protect yourself.”

  “Thank you… I-I don’t know what to say.” Edgar stared down at the puppy in his lap and then at the dagger in his hands. “Mother and Father are real strict with the Holy. I don’t think they’ll let me keep the dagger… They probably won’t let me keep the dog either.”

  Murray pursed his lips and nodded his head. Edgar’s reaction wasn’t quite what he had expected. Murray didn’t say anything for a minute and Edgar began to feel ashamed. Edgar was just about to say that he should probably leave, when Murray spoke again.

  “Well, I’m just going to have to convince your mum then. Let’s go.”

  Edgar stood up with the puppy in his arms. “You’re going to come home with me and talk to my mum?”

  “Yep,” Murray nodded. “Let’s go.” A smile broke across Edgar's face. He couldn’t believe the luck he had run into today. “Oh, and Edgar.”

  “Yes, Murray.”

  “You still need to name that dog.”

  Edgar and Murray walked silently for the first mile of the trip to the Shein’s farm. The day was beginning to break into dusk and the sky was a mixture of blue and pink. Edgar had hid the dagger on the inside of his shirt. He didn’t want his mother to see it until Murray had talked to her. Edgar held the puppy in his arms and placed a hand in front of the dog as they walked through trees, so as to protect its head from low branches. There was a dirt road that led to the farm but it was only the fastest route while on horseback. A straight path through the forest was the best route on foot. Edgar worried what his mother would say to Murray. He was already attached to the dog, and even more than that, he didn’t want to lose the blacksmith’s friendship. With Murray on his side, he’d never have to worry about Pritchard Barton again. The puppy looked up at Edgar with his little, blue eyes, panting and wagging his tail, when Edgar, as children usually do, came to an obvious name choice.

  “Blue,” stated Edgar.

  “What’s blue?”

  “I’ve decided to name the dog, Blue.”

  “He looks like a Blue. Good name.” Murray smiled but didn’t say much else on the matter. Edgar didn’t feel much like talking anyway. He was too busy thinking of all the things he was going to teach to Blue.

  As Edgar and Murray emerged from the forest, a large field of tall grass spread out before them. On the far side of the field, up on a small hill, was Edgar’s home. The pair waded their way through the tall grass until they reached the gate to Shein farm. A small, wooden fence that only came up to Murray’s waist, opened with a creak. Edgar could see candlelight coming from the windows of the small, white house that rested on top of the hill. The sky was beginning to show shades of violet as Edgar and Murray reached the porch. Edgar handed Blue over to Murray and instructed him to wait on the porch while he fetched his mother. Murray held the dog up to his face and looked into the dog’s eyes.

  “You’re just too cute to say no to, aren’t you? Yes you are. Yes you are.”

  Murray cooed at the dog and ruffled the fur on its head, not noticing that Rachael had come out onto the porch.

  “What can I help you with, Murray?”

  “Rachael,” said Murray, startled and embarrassed. “I- uh- good to see you.”

  “Good to see you too, Murray. Edgar said there was something you wanted to talk to me about.”

  “Well, actually, it was Edgar that I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Murray now noticed how tired Rachael’s eyes were. She was a small woman with mousy, blond hair. Too small, Murray felt, to be living out here, all alone, with her husband far away. His heart went out to her as it had for the boy, when he had spotted him out his shop window.

  “He hasn’t been making trouble, has he?”

  “Oh no, not at all. Actually, it seems as though some bullies in town have been making trouble for him and I was hoping to have a talk with you about it.”

  “I know the older children pick on him, Murray, I do. But I’m just too busy to escort the boy around. With Joe gone, I just don’t have enough time.”

  “I know that, Rachael, and well, that’s where I wanted to help. You see, I want Edgar to have this dog for protection.” Murray held up Blue. “He’s just a pup now, but he’ll grow and be real loyal. Wolfhounds always are. Plus, every family should have a good dog they can count on.”

  “I appreciate your concern, Murray, really, I do. But I don’t have the extra food for a dog, let alone the time to spend taking care of it.”

  “Well, I can help with that too, Rachael. You see, I haven’t had too much to keep me busy since Andrea passed away and I was hoping that I could help out with some things. I’m not asking for anything for it. It’s payment enough just to have something to do. And I hope I’m not out of line saying so, but I just can’t bear to watch you with your hands so full when I’ve got extra time on my hands. What with Joe being gone so often.”

  Rachael stared at Murray with a sharp look in her eyes and Murray was afraid that he had gone too far. Murray found himself too uncomfortable to meet Rachael’s eyes and briefly let his gaze move past her shoulder. Edgar was standing in the doorway, listening.

  “So, can I keep Blue?”

  Murray glanced back toward Rachael and was surprised to see her looking slightly downward with a grin on her face. She shook her head and turned to Edgar.

  “Edgar, go back inside and put another plate on the table.” Then Rachael turned back to Murray and smiled. “I do expect that you’ll be staying for dinner. You can’t expect me to let you go hungry on my watch.”

  Murray couldn’t help but to smile back at her.

  “Can’t say no to that.”

  Rachael stepped aside to usher Murray in through the door and as he made his way past her, she touched him gently on the hand. He stopped and looked down at her.

  “Thank you, Murray.”

  Murray looked into her blue eyes and something moved inside of him. All of a sudden, he felt very shy.

  “My pleasure, Rach
ael.”

  Edgar, Rachael and Murray talked and laughed as they ate dinner and nobody’s smile shone bigger or brighter than Edgar’s. How did I get so lucky? he thought to himself and snuck Blue a scrap of meat from the table. It was obvious that Edgar had taken to Murray and although Rachael was wary that the boy might find in Murray a substitute for his absent father, she just couldn’t do anything to prevent his happiness.

  As they finished dinner, Rachael gathered the empty plates and brought them into the kitchen. Once Edgar and Murray were alone, the boy began his questions.

  “Did you ask about the dagger, Murray? I didn’t hear you say anything about the dagger.”

  Murray looked at Edgar and winked. “Your mother doesn’t need to be bothered with every little thing, Edgar.”

  Edgar smiled and lifted Blue onto his lap.

  Later that night, after Murray had left for the village, Edgar lay wide-awake in bed, going over the day’s events in his head. He was so happy. He couldn’t remember any other time in his young life that he had been this happy. He pet Blue and the puppy returned the affection by licking his arm. Edgar looked out his bedroom window and found the biggest star in the sky. Then he made a wish that Murray were his father.

  Chapter 10: A Storm

  Over the next few weeks, Edgar’s happiness continued to grow. Murray had fulfilled his promise and was spending a lot of time helping out on the farm. There was nothing he wasn’t a great help with. He worked in the vegetable garden at a speed that neither Edgar nor Rachael could dream of matching, even on their best days. He was able to keep the barn in much better order, mostly due to his ability to lift heavy objects, that previously, only Joe had the strength to tackle. He was handy with repairs and had fixed two drafty windows as well as some loose boards on the porch. He even spent time teaching Edgar how to hunt in the forest. All this, and he was still able to keep his smithing business in operation.

  Also, Blue seemed to be growing at an exponential rate and the dog’s affection for Edgar hadn’t waned. He and Edgar were inseparable. All of Edgar’s free time was spent playing fetch with the dog and teaching him tricks. Blue had quickly mastered the art of rolling over and shaking hands and was now tackling speech on command. Murray was greatly impressed with Edgar’s ability to train Blue.