by P. G. Thomas
The rising suns tried to vanquish the night, but because the storm was so intense, the battle had the appearance of a deadlock, as light and dark were only able to merge into an angry gray. Furthermore, the illumination was insufficient enough for them to see the menacing clouds. The air, being filled with so much rain, almost completely obscured their vision, and even with all of the windows closed, they heard the haunting sounds of the winds that hungered for devastation.
When Eric joined them, he had the demi-mortal sword. He looked towards the angry sky, “Every cloud has a silver lining. Steve, do you want to watch me fill up the sword?”
While Steve had listened to the outrageous stories of the sword that consumed lightning, even in this world, there was still a small part of him that disbelieved it. Following Eric out the back door and into the stables, after waking Zack, they found the other Earth Guards who had gathered around the slightly cracked open stable doors to watch the storm. As Eric walked to them, he unsheathed the rune carved metal, opened the doors enough to grant him an exit, and stepped out into the wind-driven cold rain. Even with his gifted strength, he found it difficult to stand, and even harder to hold the massive sword above his head. The winds so loud and the rain so thick both drowned out his calls to Father’s rage. After ten minutes, Steve saw the large frame heading back towards the stable, fighting through the wind and rain, and he forced the door open.
Eric dripping wet, shivering, looked at the sword in his hand, then to Steve and John, “Nothing happened.”
“Did you try calling out to Father’s Rage?” asked John.
“You didn’t hear me? I was only five feet away.”
“Hear you?” Steve replied. “We couldn’t even see you.”
“Something’s wrong, John,” said Zack. “Sister would never let a storm like this happen since too many innocents could be hurt. Maybe Zymse—”
Racing back to the house, John ran up the stairs taking them two at a time, knocking at the first door. With the distress still carved deeply into Ryan’s face, John could see Lauren crying in the bed. “Look, I’m sorry, but I need Lauren to drop a piece of her staff through a bracelet. I think Zymse has created this storm, and we need Sister.”
Careel, standing behind John, whistled to call the other Earth Guards to him.
“How—” began Ryan.
“Here, take it and go.” Lauren cut him off, as she dragged herself out of bed, and reached for the staff on a nearby table.
Ryan walked over to his wife, accepted the piece of bark, and then returned to John who was holding out a bracelet. After he had dropped it through, he closed the door.
Pointing the magical wrist decoration into the corridor, John, seeing the portal form, rushed into it followed by his Earth Guards.
*******
From under a tarp, which one of the Earth Guards had stolen, Panry looked over the edge of the wall at Zymse complex, hoping for a break in the weather to see what was happening.
“Perchance we can find shelter more secure?” asked Catic.
Panry’s answer was angry, like the storm that battered them, “NO!”
Chapter 20
John and his Earth Guards walked for twenty minutes amongst the gigantic trees, following the voices to the clearing.
“Why does my brother smile, as he looks like a dwarf who has just found a barrel of ale he thought lost?”
“I heard more Granite break last night.”
“I too have heard the warnings from engraved rocks speak,” began Tranquil, “but many still remain silent. However, there was one, its words both young and old.”
“I also heard it, Sister. When the Champion stands before me next, his sword will be quiet like Mother.”
“Is your memory truly that short? It was just the day past that I told you again of the Mourning King and the Battle of Nevermore.”
“You repeated words spoken by Mother, possibly lies, yet it is Father’s words that I remember. Maybe her throne he has stolen, employing it to be a prize. Besides, Earth Mother never once did he mention the Battle of Nevermore, as only of the King did he speak.”
“If I had but one wish, it would be this: that your mind and our metal prison shared the same cutting edge. Instead, it is like the jewel encrusted pommel: pretty but blunt.” Tranquil gazed up at the sky. “They go to war but seek her Throne? You call it a prize? Did you not understand but one word I spoke, as if my speech was too long, tell me, and Nevermore I will explain in smaller words.”
Fury turned his back, “If I had one, simple it would also be. Never more would you speak, and be quiet like Mother since this forest would enjoy the silence. It is not the Battle of Nevermore, as Father would not allow her curse to taint the great battle.”
“The dwarves are calling it the Battle of Nevermore,” advised John.
Fury looked down at the small gathering, “A sign we should post, and a fine mat lay out proclaiming welcome to all.”
“It would be cheaper than a gold-bricked road,” began John, “I really don’t have any time for your screwed-up crap today. First, don’t put me to sleep, but I need Sister’s help because Zymse has done something to the weather in the Bright Coast.”
“A simple problem of which the Bastard is more than capable of handling,” advised Fury, “or do you wish us to coddle you like children?”
Gasping, Tranquil fell backwards into a cloud chair, which had instantly formed behind her, “The Bastard is dead?”
John, wiping his tears away, fought to get his voice back.
“Of this I was unaware,” said Fury. “For your loss, I am sorry.”
“Your words are meaningless,” began John, “If I wanted you to understand what I’m feeling, I would’ve brought Lauren, letting her unleash her anger on you. So shut the fu—look, I need help. Where’s Sister?”
“Brother, I am confused. Her last message was to the Bright Coast she was headed.”
“Maybe she grieves the loss of her first?”
“Bullshit,” John said, “Zymse is selling brands to protect people from the weather, but Zack said she would never let a storm like this happen.”
Tranquil shook her head, “Maybe to the coast she has not arrived yet?”
“Or maybe she has gone mad,” replied John.
“GODS DO NOT GO MAD,” countered Fury. “If it is Sister, it will pass much like Earth Mother’s grief will. If Zymse has done something with her domain, anger her it will. Either way blessed you are, as of the three of us, only she is able to help. Therefore, I would suggest you go back to find a way to contact her.” Then Fury disappeared.
As Tranquil stood, her cloud chair disappeared, “In this matter, I am unable to provide guidance.” She then also vanished.
“Sons of a bitch,” and John began to pull off the bracelet.
“How much longer do we have to wait, Earth Mother?” asked Careel.
“We’re done here,” and after he had dropped a medallion through the bracelet, he stepped back into Gayne’s living room, followed by his Earth Guards. In the front room, staring out various windows all were present, except for Lauren, Ryan, and Steve. After John plainly announced that his trip had failed to promise any help, he headed into the study to see if the mirrors would provide a better view of the current situation.
Steve was chugging a bottle of wine when John walked in, “Sorry, Kid, I have nothing in here. Because the rain is so bad, I can’t see crap. Either it’s causing interference with the magic, or a couple of windows were broken.”
After scanning the six mirrors, of which two were blank, John headed back out to the front room.
*******
“Branding is such a lost art.”
Looking to the open door, Logan saw two men carrying in a smoking brazier, followed by Zymse.
“Today you will receive my brands of obedience, and shortly, you will join my Black Bastards.”
*******
It was late at night when Jedimac headed out to the Shadow Council me
eting, being thankful the storm had lost some of its teeth, but the cold, wet winds still bit through his thin rain coat. Still confused about the message received the day before, he wondered about the strange brands offered. At first, having originally thought that Zymse had lost his mind, his opinion quickly changed that morning when the storm of unimaginable proportions arrived. As he sat in the dark hall, he heard the council rush through the normal business, waiting for the words he hoped he could defeat.
The gavel slammed into the unseen desk. “This night most already know. Not only has the Unknown won us back the territories north of the Key, but he has also crafted a plan that will see all guilds prosper. The night is ours once again.”
Jedimac stood, pulling out the key that glowed in the dark, “This hall is strong, so strong that it not only blocks the storm that rages outside, but also the future that has not arrived yet. Yes, even though we purchased both extensive properties and access to them, we have only acquired the dusk, as the ownership of the night still wages on, much like the storm that now rips this city apart. While we may have won the first battle, the war is far from over, and I truly fear any opponent that can render this kind of chaos. If we do not find a way to defeat him, a different night will welcome all; one that none will enjoy.”
From a dark corner, one voice was heard. “When my wife and I saw Zymse offering his brands, we shared a good laugh. This morning she begged me to take us both to see the madman.”
“Unknown, your task is not complete.” Then the gavel sounded for the hall to clear.
*******
John walked down the stairs the next morning with a blanket wrapped around him. Going straight to the kitchen, he found most standing around the hot stove, shivering. “Gayne, is your furnace broken?”
“Fern ice? What is that?”
“Why’s it so damn cold?”
With a similar blanket wrapped around himself, Gayne led John to the patio door, and they both looked out at the high drifts of white, seeing the intense winds adding to them.
“Snow?” asked John.
“While we usually get a little bit in the Bright Coast, this winter arrived early.”
“Define early.”
“Eric was explaining your seasons to me, which sounded similar to ours. First, a long spring when plants begin to grow, and then a summer of an equal length, followed by a considerable period of harvest. My best guess, three seasons early.” Then he headed back to the kitchen.
Steve walked out, handing a mug of hot bean juice to John, “Zymse, he couldn’t have built a machine to control the weather, could he?”
*******
Panry lifted the heavy tarp that seemed to be smothering him, and when he looked out, all he saw was white.
As he stepped out from underneath it, Catic handed him a mug of almost warm bean juice. “The weather has turned foul this day.”
Nodding to the youngest Earth Guard, Panry looked across the street to the stronghold, but he was unable to see it through the blinding snowstorm that obscured everything.
“Perchance,” Catic began, “we can find a warmer spot to watch?”
With his anger to keep him warm, Panry’s reply was cold, “No!”
*******
Jedimac woke that morning bathed in sweat. When he opened the window for a fresh breeze, the intense heat almost knocked him over. Going across the hall, he banged on the door, “Somebody get water and ice.” Sitting at his desk, he wished he had not burned the notes from the previous day, as it was void of updates due to the weather. Staring out the window, he could see a crowd growing in front of Zymse Academy, and with a certain amount of irony, wished that Panry was with him; “Because that damn elf would be able to hear what is happening.” An hour later, there was a knock on his door. After wiping the sweat from his face, he pulled on his mask. One of the runners entered, carrying two large jugs of water, “Where’s the ice?” The thief held up the empty wet cloth bag. Waving him away, Jedimac had several large drinks, but the warm water did little to satisfy his thirst for knowledge since the crowd was growing. Finding a linen shirt, he headed towards the bridge, where on the other side he saw Zymse preaching his brands of weather protection. A few days earlier, the laughter from the crowds was so loud that he could hear them from his office, but today they were much more receptive to his words, as many were entering the building. He remembered reading the messages from Zymse’s boasts; that evil accidently mined by dwarves had vaporized in their forges, and even though he knew it was a deception, after three days of the strange weather, he was even beginning to believe it. Now he hoped the legends had a plan to stop the madman, as the events on his board were not happening as desired.
*******
John had shivered most of the night, declining Careel’s offer to share his body heat. Ryan had stolen all of the blankets to keep Lauren warm, so when he woke the next morning, while thankful he was not cold, he failed to understand all of the sweat. Until he walked over to the window, feeling the inflow of humidity-rich air, which felt like a vent from a blast furnace. As he walked down the stairs, he had to keep wiping the sweat from his forehead, and entering the dining room, seeing Zack and Eric lying in a quickly shrinking snow bank, he joined them.
Twenty minutes later, after Ryan walked out onto the patio, in a hushed voice said, “Don’t say anything to her. Don’t touch her. Just pretend she isn’t here.” Then Lauren walked out, her hair disheveled, matted down, her face tear-stained, and she took a seat at the patio table beside Ryan.
Gayne came out carrying two large pitchers of water, “While it might not be cold, it is wet.”
Zack looked at the pitchers, “Get Logan, he can—”
Seeing Lauren burst into tears, he watched her run back into the house followed by Ryan. “Dudette, I’m sorry,” he called out, but Lauren never heard the apology.
“Do you need any help removing your foot from your mouth?” asked Eric.
Rolling over into the snow, Zack cursed.
Walking out, Steve grabbed the remnants of several icicles, which he broke in half, dunking them into the pitchers, and poured himself a glass of water, “Boy genius, any ideas?”
Picking up two large handfuls of snow, John rubbed them into his head before pushing himself up. Once at the table, he poured himself a glass of water and drank it all, “Global warming is the only phenomena that I know of that could cause such strange weather patterns.” He poured a second glass, “Unless you know magic.”
*******
Catic Winterfox dumped one of the containers of warm water he had stolen over his head, looked at Panry, “Perchance—”
“NO!”
*******
Jedimac woke with a pounding headache. With only the crowds to watch the day before to occupy his time, he had the runners bring wine, as it still tasted sweet when warm. With so much time on his hands and his frustration building, he had one too many bottles, feeling like a cloud of doom hung over his head. Opening the window, he said a prayer to Mother.
*******
Eric was the last to wake the next morning, and when he saw the bathroom free, took a long shower to wash away the sweat and stench from the previous day. When done, he proceeded to the ground floor where he saw Zack standing on the patio looking north. Walking outside, he saw the blackness that had replaced the sky. It was a slowly rotating black vortex that was so enormous that its size he was unable to guess. As he looked to the north, he saw John standing at the end of the patio, so both Zack and Eric went to join him. While the strange weather pattern looked ominous from the side of the house, it also blocked the true horror that filled the sky. At the north end of the patio, being at the highest elevation in the Bright Coast, they could gauge its full size, as not only did it cover the city below, but it extended over the ocean, stretching out to the distant eastern mountain range.
Steve joined them, “Mirrors aren’t working—what the hell’s that?”
Eric, Zack, and John just shrugged their
shoulders.
“Zack, fly down and watch Zymse,” began Steve. “I want to know what he’s saying.”
For almost two hours, they watched the menacing black cloud swirl in the sky, and when they realized it was getting smaller, they hoped it was evaporating. Then Steve noticed that the center was growing, extending down to the land.
At that moment Zack landed, transforming back to normal. “Dude has a huge crowd lined up with a full house. Every time he’s waiting for the brands to get hot again, he comes out, preaching, pointing up to the sky, telling them that only his natural magic can save them. The bad news, they’re taking it hook, line, and sinker.”
“What do you think, Kid?”
“I know this much, we can’t defeat that. I need to go to the First Forest,” John ran upstairs, knocking at the Earth Guarded door.
Ryan answered in frustration, “What is it this time?”
“We have a problem, and I need to visit Tranquil and Fury,” and then he heard the staff land at his feet.
Ryan bent down, picked up a piece of bark that had fallen off, and dropped it through the waiting bracelet that John held, and they both watched it fall to the floor. “That’s not good.”
John tore off a piece of his shirt, picked up the bark, stuffing it into his pocket, “It gets worse. Can you come downstairs?”
“Just tell me,” replied Ryan.
“You really need to see it.”
Once they were both on the patio, Zack explained what he had seen and heard. Ryan, shaking his head, watched the swirling cloud the entire time, “I can’t do anything about that.”
John nodded, “I know, we might need Lauren to do something with her staff.”
“What?” replied Eric.
“Damn it, I don’t know,” answered John, “I’m willing to listen to any ideas.”
Steve walked over, “I have one.” He then smacked John on the back of the head, “Now, be the damn Unchosen, and unlock the secret behind that black bullshit!”
Careel stepped forward with his hand on his sword.
“Right now, he’s not an Earth Mother, SO BACK OFF!” stated Steve.