Everflame: The Complete Series

by Dylan Lee Peters

  “Is that all?” asked Lithlillian.

  “No,” said Ben Floyd. Densa looked at the man curiously, but let him proceed. “You must also forgive the fact that I tricked you into giving me information. I never wanted to deceive you, but destroying the Tyrant was our goal, and the information you gave brought us closer to achieving it.”

  “If you give me the Evermight, I will put our differences in the past,” said Lithlillian.

  “I am not done,” said Ben. “I have already promised the Evermight to the Felaquans. Ulinawi was sacred to them, and my group brought about his death unintentionally. In order to make things right with Felaqua, we have promised to return the Evermight to their shores.”

  “You cannot give to me what is promised to others.”

  “I can,” continued Ben. “If I give you the Evermight, you must agree to take residence in the Gen D’hisi Mountains and become the patron spirit of the Felaquans.”

  The blood-red color drained from Densa’s eyes and Lithlillian looked upon Ben Floyd with wonder.

  “You would ask me to leave my home?” she asked.

  “Forever,” confirmed the man.

  The daughter of Earth and Sun was taken aback and she turned away from Ben and Densa to ponder the man’s words. Ben could not tell what the woman was thinking as she stared up at the starry sky and then, back down at the rock she had lived upon for ages.

  “The Felaquans would revere you higher than all, if you do this,” added Ben. “You have no idea how much Ulinawi meant to them. They wanted to punish us with death for their loss.”

  “I understand what it would mean to Felaqua,” said Lithlillian. “I know what Ulinawi meant to them. What I don’t understand is what you take in this exchange, little man. Why are you willing to part with such power?”

  “If Densa’s plan does not work,” admitted Ben, “we will all die, even you, Lithlillian. The Tyrant means to steal Earth’s very existence away from her. When that happens, the energy everything in this world needs to exist will be gone. Do you believe you would live on without Earth? Are you willing to gamble that you would survive that?”

  “What if I did survive it?”

  “Then you would be queen over all,” said Densa. “Queen of a world made of dust and emptiness. Maybe you’d have the Great Tyrant to keep you company, if he doesn’t move on to destroy another planet.”

  Lithlillian turned back toward Ben and Densa and nodded solemnly. “I will do this. I will help you destroy the Tyrant. I will also go to the Gen D’hisi Mountains, though I’ve never abided rainbows.”

  “What’s wrong with rainbows?” asked Ben with an edge to his voice.

  Lithlillian shook her head and grinned slightly.

  “So it’s settled,” confirmed Densa. “Ben will give you the Evermight and the two of you will wait at the crater.”

  “You’re leaving?” asked Ben. “I didn’t realize you were leaving.”

  “I am… I must take this next step alone.”

  “How will we know when you’ve returned?”

  “You’ll know.”

  Ben nodded briefly and Densa disappeared into the sky.

  “What do you think he means to do?” Ben asked Lithlillian as he watched the stars twinkle in the sky.

  “You’ve seen his eyes,” grumbled Lithlillian, “and I don’t mean the red glow. You’ve seen the amount of pain he’s filled with. I don’t know what he has planned, but I can tell you this: When someone is filled with that much pain, it doesn’t stay inside for long.”

  EVERCLOUD THE BEAR

  Chapter 33: At the Heart of the Everflame

  Evercloud and Riverpaw landed softly upon the sandy shoreline of Southern Nefas to find Tiber, Tomas, Annie and Andor leading what remained of the Felaquan army into the kingdom. The large group stopped their march as soon as they saw Riverpaw and Evercloud, intent upon learning what had transpired in the tower.

  “We are fine,” said Evercloud immediately. “Ben is fine,” he added, looking at Tomas. “He’s with Densa.”

  Tomas’ eyes widened. “What happened? I could see the battle somewhat, but not as well as I’d have liked. I saw that machine… and the Tyrant.”

  “The man controlling the machine is dead,” said Riverpaw. “The Great Tyrant escaped, but we know where he is going. Nefas is safe for now.”

  “No one is safe,” said Evercloud. “The Tyrant is preparing for his final strike. He’s planning to attack Earth. If Earth perishes…”

  “What do we need to do?” asked Annie.

  “Densa wants us to bring all the people of Ephanlarea to the crater where Gray Mountain once stood. That is where the Tyrant is. Densa has a plan.”

  “What’s the plan?” asked Tiber Allahnder.

  “Densa wouldn’t tell us,” admitted Riverpaw.

  “What?” exclaimed Tomas. “What do you mean he wouldn’t tell you? He wants us to bring everyone to the Great Tyrant, and we don’t know why?”

  “He said we should trust him. He said he couldn’t tell us the plan.” Evercloud’s frustration was obvious and building as the conversation moved forward. “He said we have little time and he needed this task completed as soon as possible.”

  “It’ll take weeks to complete such a task,” argued Annie. “How quickly does he need everyone there?”

  “I don’t know exactly,” said Evercloud. “As soon as possible. Densa said the spirit women could help.”

  “Are they still here?” asked Riverpaw.

  The answer was almost immediate and the group marveled as they looked into the night sky. Like seven stars of differing colors, falling from the heavens, came the daughters of Earth and Sun. They landed, one next to the other, upon the beach of Nefas as the waters gently caressed their feet. Seven women of beauty, strength and wisdom, came forward and addressed Evercloud with purpose.

  “We are here to see this to the end, Brother,” said Tallulah. “We have said it before and we will say it again. We cannot ignore the Tyrant and the threat he poses. Whatever you need from us, we will do our best to aide you.”

  Evercloud was uncomfortable being addressed as Brother by these spirits who had seen ages upon ages of the earth. Yet, Tallulah’s words lifted him in a way that he found surprising.

  “We need to bring the people of Ephanlarea to the crater where Gray Mountain once stood. We need to complete this task as soon as possible. The Great Tyrant plans to reach Earth’s core and absorb her life. If this happens… all will die.”

  “We can do this,” said Nivalia as she narrowed her almond eyes. She then turned to her sisters and the spirits began to communicate with each other in their silent way. Minutes passed while everyone looked on and the night air grew cold, but soon the women began to nod their heads and it seemed they had come to some accord.

  “We must split into groups,” said Dendrata once the sisters had finished their meeting. “Andor, you will fly with Annie to the Kingdom of Chreos. Speak with whomever the citizens will listen to and convince them to come to the crater. Once this is done, Nivalia, Aella and Amber will assist in the transport. Evercloud and Riverpaw, you travel to the city of Cerano and convince the people as well. Once you have, Harena, Tallulah and Selva will aide you. Tiber and Tomas will stay with me and we will bring Nefas and the animals of Ephanlarea to the crater. Once we are there, we will all prepare to fight the Tyrant.”

  “We don’t know if that is Densa’s plan,” said Evercloud.

  “When no plan has been given, we are forced to make our own decisions. If Densa has a problem with that, then he should have given us more information.”

  “I suppose,” said Evercloud without confidence.

  “We will part now,” said Nivalia. “I agree with Densa that it is perilous to wait any longer to attack the Tyrant than we need to.”

  The sisters all agreed with nods. The moon was showing bright in the night sky and reflecting off of the ocean water. Silence washed over the group like the tiny, rippling waves that la
pped the white and orange sands. Everyone looked at each other solemnly and prepared for their departure.

  No one is confident, thought Evercloud. Something is wrong. Something is definitely wrong about this.

  The man looked at his furry cousin and Riverpaw’s eyes gave away his doubt. Evercloud gestured his head to the air and he and Riverpaw ascended into the sky, on a direct course for Cerano.

  “This doesn’t feel right,” said Evercloud once he and the bear had flown away from Nefas.

  “I can’t put my finger on it,” replied Riverpaw, “but you’re right. I don’t understand why Densa couldn’t tell us his plan.”

  “Is it possible that he doesn’t have one?”

  Riverpaw didn’t answer immediately, considering the question. He looked at the moon to his left and memories of a similar moon flooded his memory.

  “Do you remember our conversation the night we met Captain Nesbitt for the first time, about the Tyrant and Densa, well… before we knew it was Densa?”

  “Maybe a little. Why?”

  “There was something you said that I just thought of. You said, we don’t have much other choice. The thing is, we do have a choice.”

  “I didn’t mean it literally, Riverpaw. I just meant when faced with fighting against the Tyrant or giving in, I was never going to give in.”

  “I know,” said Riverpaw, “but that’s why I’m bringing it up. This is our decision. We don’t have to follow Densa. We are not slaves to a fate we can’t control. When push comes to shove, we trust Densa. We have looked into his eyes, we have fought by his side, we have weighed his words with our own minds, and we have agreed to give him this chance.”

  “Then why are we so nervous?”

  “Because we all know, that at the end of the day, it’s on us. We’re choosing to believe in Densa. Anything that goes wrong is as much our failure as his.”

  “So what you’re saying is–”

  “By following Densa, you’re saying you are willing to be accountable for Densa. That’s why we’re all so nervous. We’ve all agreed to be responsible for Densa.”

  • • •

  Annie sat atop Andor, just in front of the gates of Chreos, while women with spears surrounded them and barred their entrance.

  “We are not here to cause trouble,” said Annie. “We need to see your king. We need to speak to him concerning a very urgent matter.”

  “We have no king,” spat a woman with sunken eyes.

  In truth, all of the women had sunken eyes. They all looked very tired, and not one of them looked like a soldier. Some of them didn’t even seem as if they were comfortable holding spears.

  “The fate of our land is at stake,” continued Annie. “We need to speak to whomever has taken charge of this kingdom.” It was quickly becoming apparent to Annie that Chreos was in a state of flux.

  “Let me through,” came a commanding voice.

  Annie looked forward to see a man striding toward them. He had blue eyes and a fat nose; he looked sharp as a dagger and twice as deadly. Andor feared little though, and stood proud as the man approached with a sword drawn.

  “Chreos has no king,” continued Matthew Zehnder. “The last, true king was murdered and the snake that replaced him has been disposed. Our people have been dealt a vicious blow by evil and treachery, but we remain strong and we will defend our homes. There are over one hundred archers atop this wall, they may be young, but they have been trained well, so do not believe for a moment that we are weak. I don’t know what sort of witch you are, but Chreos will not be taken advantage of.”

  “Witch?!” shrieked Annie indignantly. “How dare you call me a witch? I come to your kingdom in need of help and you call me a witch?” Zehnder’s demeanor didn’t change. He was not going to chance being played for a fool. Annie was stung by the man’s comment, but she gathered herself, remembered her purpose, and calmed her nerves. “I can see that Chreos has suffered losses. Word has spread throughout the land that this kingdom marched on Nefas and lost many men.”

  “This is true,” conceded Zehnder. “The good people of Chreos were deceived by a man claiming to know the Holy’s will. We were forced to march on Nefas. A man by the name of Craven took the crown after the death of our good King Aplistia, and he used the lie of the Holy to force us into war. As it turned out, Craven had been taken by some demon, or many demons, I do not know. Dark creatures destroyed most of our men upon the fields of Nefas. A small group of us tried to change Craven’s mind and leave the war. When it was obvious that he could not be turned from his madness, we did what we had to in order to protect the future of our kingdom.”

  “We know what madness had taken this Craven,” spoke Andor.

  Gasps came from the women, and even Zehnder took two steps in retreat before steadying himself.

  “You are a witch,” he said. “You’ve brought more dark magic to Chreos.”

  “No,” continued Andor. “That is not true. We know of the dark creatures that attacked your men upon the fields of Nefas. We know their red eyes, their lust for blood, and their breath of flame. Do I look to you as they do?”

  “No,” admitted Matthew Zehnder, “but you speak as a human, yet you are a beast.”

  “Chreos has learned many new things recently, I’m sure,” said Andor. “However, only a fool marks everything he does not know as evil. We are here because we quest to end the reign of the Great Tyrant. You may not know of him, but you have been greatly affected by him. It was he who controlled those creatures that tore through your ranks, and I would guess that he was in control of this Craven you speak of as well. It is he who is the real danger.”

  “That may be so,” replied the man. “But I have no proof by which to trust your words, and though Chreos is still capable enough to defend ourselves, we are in no position to be lending a hand to those who quest to destroy a demon.”

  “If you do not help us, you will only suffer regret for your decision,” said Annie. “For if we fail, the Tyrant will destroy Chreos. If you think those creatures were the worst of his power, you know nothing. He will come for you, no matter how long you hide.”

  “What do you expect us to do?” asked Zehnder. “We are still mending our wounds from a fool’s war. We cannot fight.”

  “You said you have the strength to defend your home,” said Andor. “We only ask that you do so.”

  “Are you telling me Chreos is on the precipice of being attacked?”

  “Chreos is your home, yes,” said Andor, “but so is Ephanlarea, and so is Earth. Your enemy threatens to destroy all of it, whether he stands at your doorstep or not. As we speak, the Great Tyrant comes closer and closer to Earth’s core. When he reaches his goal, he will destroy Earth, and in turn, we will all perish. We merely ask you to join, and do what you can.”

  Matthew Zehnder looked at the tired women around him and back at the wall where children held drawn bows.

  “This isn’t the world you want to live in,” said Annie. “We don’t want a world like this either.”

  “This Tyrant you speak of. He is powerful enough to control all of those black beasts. He is powerful enough to pollute the mind of a man until he is mad. What is the plan to defeat him?”

  “We have those on our side who are powerful as well,” said Annie. “They have asked that all the people of Ephanlarea converge upon the Tyrant, where he attacks Earth. There, they will fight against him, hopefully with the support of Chreos.”

  Descending from the sky above and landing among the group, came Nivalia, Aella and Amber. One of the women of Chreos, scared into action, threw her spear at Aella and stood in shock as she watched the spear travel through the spirit, as if there were no one there.

  “These are the powers you have on your side?” asked Zehnder.

  “Some of them,” answered Annie.

  “We are here to transport Chreos to the crater where the Great Tyrant seeks to destroy Earth. If you will help us,” said Aella, showing no ill will, even after being a
ttacked. “You see, we have come to realize that it is the strongest of us who should carry the largest loads. Not because we have to, not because others want us to, but because it fulfills our purpose. You have a purpose, and so does every man, woman and child of Chreos.”

  “We simply ask you to do that which you already want to do,” added Nivalia. “However, we all have many wants. We would also ask you to choose the direction that yields the highest reward, regardless if it is the easiest road or not. We would ask you to become as strong as you can.”

  “Yes,” said Amber. “I can decide to turn my back on trouble and reap the reward of a peaceful mind. For a measure of time, I alone will be happy. Or I can decide to fight to end an evil that threatens my home and reap the reward of giving peace to many. The choice is mine, as the choice is yours.”

  “You speak as if you know my heart,” said Matthew Zehnder.

  “We are not as different as you may think,” said Nivalia.

  “You believe with all that you are, that you can bring peace to many?” asked Zehnder.

  “With all that we are,” replied Aella.

  “Then Chreos is with you. We will do what little we can. Let no one say we take the road of the weak-hearted.”

  • • •

  Evercloud paced in front of thousands of citizens of Cerano, the night creeping closer and closer to sunrise. Cerano had been mostly untouched by the evil of the Great Tyrant, and the man from Gray Mountain knew that they would not be plied away from their homes by a man pleading for help. He knew that if Cerano were to join the fight against the Tyrant, they would have to be inspired. He thought he knew just how to do it.

  Harena, Tallulah and Selva had been brought early by Evercloud’s call. He had asked them to help wake the town from their slumber and bring them into the streets. The show the spirit women had created was a spectacle indeed. The daughters of Earth and Sun brought a storm from the sea that pulled Cerano from their beds, and when the daughters stopped the storm as abruptly as it had started, Riverpaw began to ring the town bell as mightily as he could. Everyone in Cerano knew the ringing of the bell was only used in emergency or when the entire town was needed in the public square. The people were loathe to leave the comfort of their blankets and fires at such an hour of the night, but as the bear continued to ring the bell, more and more of Cerano filed onto the streets and into the square, wondering what could possibly be going on.