Everflame: The Complete Series

by Dylan Lee Peters

  But all conjecture was laid aside as soon as Rachael saw Edgar fall to his knees in front of the little boy and his dog. It broke her heart to imagine the pain that Edgar must be feeling from seeing a young boy and his dog amid such a tragedy. It would have to be a great deal of pain to bring a man of his size crumbling to the ground. It took all Rachael had not to run out and throw her arms around Edgar, to tell him that mother was there for him, and that everything was going to be all right. But Rachael had come too far to throw that all away now.

  She recalled finding out what had happened to Edgar after he had run away from Shein Farm. Rachael had been sitting in an alley, outside of a tavern in Yorebrook. She had been drinking heavily and had collapsed in the alley, next to a couple of vagrants. She began to fall into a drunken sleep, but was suddenly shook awake by the vagrants scuffling around as they scrambled away from the alley. Rachael looked around to see what they were running from, and then, she saw him hovering above her. She lost consciousness, and when she woke up, she was in the forest, but she was not alone. It was the Holy. He had come to her to tell her what had happened to Edgar. He had told her what Edgar had become. Rachael was stunned, not only by the fact that she was in the presence of the Holy, but simply at hearing that Edgar was alive. She had looked for Edgar for years and years and never found him. She had given up hope.

  That moment in the forest had been the beginning. It had been her personal salvation. She never told anyone how close she had been to taking her own life before the Holy had come to her, not that there had been anyone to tell. Rachael had lived her life as a stranger after she had left Shein Farm, and she longed for the moment that she would reveal herself to Edgar. She longed for that recognition.

  Edgar, Iolana and the small boy were leaving now. Rachael gathered herself and continued to follow.

  •••

  When Edgar stopped and set up camp for the night, Rachael made up her mind that she would leave once everyone had fallen asleep. She imagined that after the long day, sleep would come quickly for everyone involved, but Edgar had other plans.

  Rachael tried to move closer as he began to speak to Iolana. She got close enough to hear their conversation and what she heard was too much for her heart to bear. Rachael was crushed beyond comprehension. She closed her eyes and again her memory took her into her past.

  When Rachael had first run from Shein Farm, it was to the village of Hammlin. She had thought it would be an obvious destination for Edgar. In fact, it was Murray’s shop where she had counted on finding him. However, as Rachael reached the edge of the village, her eyes grew wide with fear and her legs would not move her further forward. The village of Hammlin was on fire. Every building, every home, everything, burning. Her mind immediately thought that Edgar would have seen this fire as she had. He couldn’t have been far ahead of her, if he had reached the village at all. She had assumed that he must have doubled back and returned to Shein Farm after seeing the blaze. There would be nowhere else for him to go and he would have surely calmed down a bit since leaving. With nothing but Edgar on her mind, Rachael had turned from the blaze and run back to Shein Farm as fast as she could.

  As Shein Farm came into view, a new and more intense panic gripped Rachael’s insides. Shein Farm was also on fire. She ran up to the house, screaming Edgar’s name, screaming Joe’s name, screaming for anyone, but no one answered. She cried on her knees, in the tall grass that surrounded Shein farm, as she watched it burn to the ground. When she couldn’t cry anymore, she left.

  Only motivated by the hope that Edgar had continued running to another village, she set out for the closest village to Hammlin. It hadn’t been sound logic, but Rachael had not been in a state to think clearly.

  As Rachael now stood, listening to Edgar recount a childhood on Shein Farm after his horrible accident, her entire sense of reality was skewed. How? she thought. I know what I saw. It was all on fire. I know it was. Could I have been dreaming? Did I lose my mind?

  Rachael was nothing more than a vacant shell as Edgar finished his story, and then, he and Iolana went to sleep. She tried to remember in her head if she had any other evidence of the destruction of Hammlin and Shein Farm. Her mind raced, but she couldn’t come up with anything. Why didn’t I go back? Why didn’t I go back to Hammlin?

  Tears rolled down her face and she did the only thing that she could do. She reached out for the Holy. My Holy, are you there? I need to know if what I saw that night was real. Please. I need you.

  Then a voice came into Rachael’s consciousness, but it was not the voice of the Holy.

  Who is this?

  Rachael stopped moving, she stopped breathing, she stopped thinking.

  Edgar rolled onto his back and sat up from where he laid. Who’s out there? he asked.

  Rachael didn’t dare respond, but the fear of being discovered played upon her mind with such a force that she made a very foolish mistake. She ran.

  Edgar reacted immediately. He jumped to his feet and took off, like a bolt, toward Rachael as she ran through the woods as fast as she could. She could not outrun Edgar, no one could. He would have been upon her in seconds if it hadn’t been for an almost forgotten voice that had entered into Edgar’s mind.

  Stop.

  Edgar did as he was told. My Holy?

  You have done well. Stay with Iolana. Do not stray from the path.

  My Holy, please, I need to know. Has this ancient woman changed? Am I right to let her in? Please…tell me…

  The Holy did not respond. He had left as abruptly as he had appeared.

  “Please,” Edgar whispered aloud. “I need to know…because I love her…”

  Edgar stood alone in the forest, and for the first time in a very long while, he didn’t feel that he was being watched over. For the first time in so long, he felt as if he were truly alone, and he would feel that way…forever more.

  Chapter 27: The Responsibility of Decision

  It had been almost three months since Darya had seen his son, Brya. It had been the longest three months of his life. He often remembered the cub’s bushy tail and twinkling eyes. He cursed himself for not being more attentive. He had wanted to search for his son, so badly. The guilt was consuming him. But at the end of each day, he would look into his wife, Tania’s eyes, as well as the eyes of his two young daughters, Kya and Dania, and knew that he could not leave them unprotected.

  It killed Darya, but he could not allow Brya’s wanderlust to destroy the entire family. It was the most difficult decision he had ever made. He hoped, every day, that Brya would find his way home. He hoped so hard that he would sometimes see Brya when it was someone else’s cub. He would hear Brya and it would just be a trick of the wind. Darya’s imagination had been most unforgiving. This is why, when Brya poked his head into the foxhole and called out for his father, Darya cursed his mind for creating such fantasies. But this time, the fantasies didn’t go away.

  “Is anybody home? It’s me…It’s Brya.”

  Darya turned and looked at his cub as he walked toward him, tears streaked down his face.

  “If this is a dream, please go away, because I can’t take it anymore.”

  Brya walked up to his father and nuzzled against his chest.

  “I’m sorry, Dad. Please don’t be mad at me. I’ll never wander off again. I promise.”

  “I can’t believe you’re really home.”

  Just then, Brya’s mother and sisters came into the room, and they couldn’t believe their eyes.

  “Brya,” cried Tania.

  “Momma,” said Brya.

  The family rushed together in a large embrace.

  “What happened to you?” asked Darya.

  “I was captured and put in a cage for people to look at.”

  “A zoo. How did you ever escape?”

  “King Eveneye and Catch helped me. They’re waiting outside. I want you to meet them.”

  The family rushed outside, but as soon as Darya saw Eveneye and Catch, he put hims
elf between them and his family and began to growl.

  “It’s okay, Dad. They’re friends. They saved me.”

  “Brya,” chided Darya. “You spoke in front of a human? Why would you?”

  “That would be my doing,” said Eveneye. “Please, sit down so that I may explain everything that has happened.”

  King Eveneye began to explain their escape to the foxes. He explained that it was he who first decided to speak to Catch, and that if it had not been for Catch, the foxes wouldn’t be seeing their son standing in front of them. Eveneye then went on to explain who he was and how he had prior involvement with humans. He discussed Evercloud and the entire story of how he had been taken in as Eveneye’s son, and how an entire kingdom of bears had come to accept Evercloud.

  “I have heard these stories before,” said Darya. “The tales of King Eveneye have spread throughout the animal kingdoms of Ephanlarea, whether they were thought to be truth or fantasy. However, if you are who you say you are, and you speak truth of your history, then why, King of Bears, have you left your mountain home?”

  Eveneye took pause and considered this question. The answer was a simple one, but Eveneye thought that would be obvious to the fox. Eveneye was trying to figure out what the fox might be getting at. He could not do so quickly, so answered plainly.

  “To find my son,” said Eveneye.

  “Was your son not sent on a quest?”

  “Yes, he was.”

  “And you left the kingdom that you have sworn to serve and protect, to find him?”

  “I’m not sure I understand what you are getting at, Father Fox.”

  “I love my son, Bear King, make no mistake of that. But when he decided to leave my protection, he decided that he was no longer a cub. He knows what lies in the outside world, he was told by my wife and myself. He had wandered before and he was warned not to do it again. More importantly, he knows that I have a responsibility to his mother and his sisters. When he left my side, he agreed to take on the very same responsibility that I carry; complete responsibility for himself. It killed me, wondering what could have happened to him, but I can not sacrifice others for his decisions.”

  “But I sent my son away,” argued Eveneye. “It is my fault that he is in danger.”

  “Did he accept his task as an adult?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you undermine his worth as well as your own. My son is not at an age appropriate for adulthood, yet I still would not allow his mistake to create hardship for those he loves. I ensured that he would be the only one who paid the price for his mistake, so that, at least, he would have some honor in learning from it. What would your son say should the Kingdom suffer in your absence, knowing it was because of him that you abandoned your post? Who wishes to live under the burden of knowing others perished for their salvation? I would think you would know these things, Mighty King.”

  The fox’s words stung Eveneye deeply, yet he could not deny that they were true. If he found Evercloud, yet the Kingdom suffered, it would be Evercloud that felt that weight. Evercloud would share in the burden of everything the Kingdom suffered in Eveneye’s absence. Whether it was Evercloud’s decision or not, Eveneye had left because of Evercloud.

  “You’re right,” said Eveneye, slightly embarrassed. “I insult him and burden him further because I will not allow him to be a man.” Eveneye shook his head. “What have I done?”

  “I am sorry for these harsh words, Bear King. But I would want someone to speak them to me if the tables were turned. It is something that I have thought long and hard about.”

  “No, you have opened my eyes. I thank you for that.”

  “It is the least that I could do. You have returned my only son to me. I am forever in your debt. If there is anything I can do for you, do not hesitate to ask.”

  “I must return to my mountain,” said Eveneye. “If I may ask one favor of you, Father Fox, I would consider us square. Take this young man to a village and make sure he finds good people.”

  “What?” Catch spoke up for the first time since entering the presence of the foxes. “You’re just going to leave me?”

  “I have abandoned my responsibility, Catch. I have to go back.”

  “Then I’m going with you,” said Catch, rising to his feet. “I have no family to go to, Eveneye. I have no life to get back to. I have nothing.”

  “I can’t be responsible for you, Catch. I freed you like I said I would.”

  “Your son is human and the bears have accepted him. They will accept me too. I want to go with you.”

  “Catch, I can’t,” protested Eveneye.

  “It’s my choice,” said Catch. “I won’t hold you responsible for what happens to me.”

  “How does this keep happening to me?” muttered Eveneye, shaking his head. He looked at Catch and saw the resolution in the young man’s eyes. “Well, climb aboard.”

  Catch smiled and jumped onto Eveneye’s back. They said goodbye to the foxes and Eveneye bounded away through the forest.

  Poor Goldenheart, thought Eveneye. She couldn’t have known what she was getting into when she settled on me.

  Chapter 28: The Waning Light

  Tenturo and Riverpaw landed quietly upon the grass of the plains. Evercloud could remember hunting buffalo in this part of Ephanlarea. Once again, he felt as though he had lived a lifetime since that moment, though it had been a much shorter period of time.

  “We will rest here,” said Tenturo. “There is no telling what we might face as we approach Hammlin, but I think it is prudent for us to be well rested. Light a fire if you must, but please keep it small. There is no need to attract attention.”

  Ben and Tomas made a small fire. It had been a chilling ride upon the back of Tenturo. The wind had cut through their clothing with ease and they needed the fire’s warmth. Everyone gathered around the fire quickly and made themselves as comfortable as they possibly could.

  “I never thought that I’d be sharing a fire with the creator of the world,” said Tomas.

  “I didn’t create the world, Tomas,” replied Tenturo.

  “You didn’t? Who did?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know if anyone knows. All I can remember is existence. The earth was here, Ephanlarea was here, and then, at some point, I was here. I assume that the Earth created me. I assume the same for Chera, Bahknar and Densa. We were the first four inhabitants of earth. Then, we created the other creatures of the world.”

  “You don’t know if the Earth created you?” said Evercloud. “I guess I always assumed that you could speak with the Earth.”

  “I’ve never even heard of anyone speaking with the Earth,” replied Tenturo. “Where did you get that idea?”

  “Well, Padre Esteban had told us that the Earth resurrected the Tyrant because it was jealous about not being included in the Tyrant’s creation. If the Earth wanted to be included, but you can’t speak with the Earth, how could it have expected to be included?”

  “It is foolish for you to assume that I know all, Evercloud. Or assume that all of Padre Esteban’s knowledge came from me. That man was different from any I had ever met. One of the greatest lessons all of you must learn is that no amount of power can make you an infallible being. You assume that because I am great in power, and that I am a creator, that I know all and am inherently good. You say that you do not follow the Tyrant, but these are the very lies that he would have you believe. Thinking this way is a mistake.” Tenturo looked around at confused faces. “Listen to my story. Maybe then, you will understand what I am trying to tell you.

  “As far back as I can remember, the earth existed. There was myself, Chera, Bahknar and Densa. We assume that the Earth created us because no other thing existed. We quickly found that we had abilities to create, so we did so. We never attempted to speak with the Earth, and to my knowledge, no one has. That which Padre Esteban told you may be truth, and it may also be conjecture. I cannot answer these questions for you. This, however, is what I do kn
ow. We, four ancient beings created the Tyrant as a precursor to man. He was a horrible mistake in that we created something that could not coexist with anything else that we created. We thought that he could not even coexist with the earth. It was the most tragic experience that I have ever been a part of. He did not understand why everything that he touched burned, why everything he was near wilted and died, why everything that laid its eyes upon him ran away in fear. We had literally created the worst thing that we possibly could have created. We had cursed that poor creature and it was us who should have suffered the penalty. But we did not claim responsibility. We called him a mistake and we killed him. Do you see what I am telling you? You worship us as if we are the embodiment of all that is good or right. Yet we are responsible for the worst thing that this world has ever been forced to endure. All that you consider wrong or evil…we made that real.”

  “What are you saying, Tenturo?” asked Riverpaw.

  “He’s saying what I told you lot before,” chimed in Captain Nesbitt. “There are no good or bad beings, only good or bad actions.”

  “Not exactly, Nesbitt,” continued Tenturo. “A being can be good or evil. But it is a choice.” And now Tenturo focused his words upon Evercloud. “Every day, every hour, every minute. We choose right or we choose wrong. We are not defined by our past and we are not defined by our future. Only our present.”