Legacy Of The Golden Wielder: A Novella Prequel to the Void Wielder Trilogy

by Cesar Gonzalez

  Aadi looked over to where the rock had come from and froze. No, this time it had not been a space wielder who had stopped time. The culprit was a brown-haired girl, about his age, who stood with a rock in her hand. Aadi forced his mouth shut. The girl before him was gorgeous. She wore a short green blouse that exposed her slim, tan stomach. Her skirt was also green and white. Aadi knew that meant she was a servant girl, but to whom he did not know. He did not see any important-looking people in the area.

  The girl swung her hand back and tossed another rock at the man. This one hit the wielder square on the forehead. She then ran to the boy and untied his hands. “Go! Quickly, before he recovers.”

  The boy stood still.

  Aadi picked up the bread and forced it into the boy’s hands. “Hurry up and go!”

  This seemed to take him out of his momentary lapse. He took off, rounded a corner and disappeared. By now the wielder had fully recovered and was standing, staring at the girl with burning eyes.

  “How dare you?” he called.

  “How dare I?” the blue-eyed girl pointed at herself in shock. “How dare you? That was dry bread that was going to be thrown out. What was wrong with that boy taking some for his family?”

  “Er…well….you see…um…don’t question me, girl. I will have your head for this.”

  “Try it!”

  Aadi’s insides froze as he noticed the emblem on the wielder intensify in color. He couldn’t believe it. He was actually getting ready to wield against the girl.

  No way I’m letting him attack her. He moved between the girl and the wielder, but once again he was left to watch as the spectator.

  “Ishani! What are you doing here?” called a girl who looked to be about seventeen years of age. She was dressed in a luxurious light-green dress. Her hair bow and glittery shoes were of the same color.

  Behind her there was an escort of over a dozen handmaidens. They all had the wardrobe blouse that Ishani wore, though Aadi didn’t think any of them looked as beautiful as Ishani.

  “And you!” The newcomer turned her attention to the wielder. “Did I just see you raise your hand against my friend?”

  The man wiped away the many droplets of sweat that had suddenly formed on his brow. “Why, of course not, Your Highness.”

  Highness? Aadi took another glance at the girl. Of course. No one else in Missea could dress with such luxurious robes. She was Princess Latiha.

  The brown-skinned princess stood beside Ishani. “This girl is my friend and as such is under my personal protection.”

  The man eyes darted wildly between both girls. “A princess? Friends with a servant?” The way he said “servant” made it seem as if Ishani was some disease that needed to be cleansed.

  Princess Latiha took Ishani’s hands. “Yes, she’s my friend. Does that bother you?”

  “N…no. Of course not.” He scratched his red cheeks. “I’ll just be on my way.”

  “Yes. You do that.”

  The air around the man rippled like water when a stone has been cast into it. His body stretched and disappeared into the dark void. Normally, Aadi would have been awestruck by such a display of wielding mastery, but at the moment he found himself too preoccupied, lost in the blue eyes of Ishani.

  Without giving it much thought, he walked up to her and took her hand. He planted a soft kiss on it and looked up at her. “Hello, I’m Aadi.”

  The girl’s cheeks turned a rosy pink. “Um…I’m Ishani.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ishani.” He remained gazing into her eyes.

  “Um…” She ran her hands through her hair. “Could I please have my hand back?”

  Aadi’s mind rushed back to the present. He had been so lost in the moment that he hadn’t realized he was still holding her soft hand. He released it.

  “Thanks.” The girl looked down at the floor nervously. “Well, it was nice meeting you. I have to go.”

  “Wait.” He moved himself in front of her. “Listen. I know a nice little place out of Missea. Perhaps you would like to go for a walk tonight?”

  Ishani’s rosy face now turned into a deep red. “I would love to, but—”

  “She’ll meet you there before sundown,” said Princess Latiha, standing beside her friend.

  Ishani turned to the princess, shock registering on her face. “But I thought tonight I was to braid your hair.”

  “Nonsense. Someone else can do it.”

  For the first time, Aadi noticed a smile form on Ishani’s lips. “In that case, yes. I would love to go for a walk.”

  Aadi grinned, steadying his excited breath.

  “It’s settled, then,” the princess said as she grinned widely. “She’ll meet you by the city gate tonight. Bye then.”

  They slowly walked away, their hips swaying as they giggled to themselves. The rest of the servants, who until now had remained stationary, took off after them.

  CHAPTER 3

  “About time you boys got here,” said the master record keeper. Or like Aadi liked to call him, “master sleep inducer.” It’s not that he didn’t like him– in fact, he rather enjoyed the man’s rants on the history of wielding, royal lines of succession, importance of books, or any other subject he was particularly interested in that day. The problem was that he would speak for hours on end without stopping. It would eventually induce Aadi into a deep sleep. Zoen, on the other hand, listened to his entire speeches with glaring interest.

  “Sorry, Frode,” Zoen apologized. “Aadi here was too busy flirting with one of the royal servants and playing hero.”

  Frode turned to Aadi, eyes wide open. His wrinkled face twisted to show even more lines than usual. “You did what? You do realize you could be whipped for talking to a servant without permission, right?” His voice rose with intensity. “Who was it? Please don’t say it was one of the emperor’s servants.”

  “Relax,” said Aadi. “It was one of the princess’s servants.”

  Frode rubbed his head as he exhaled a breath of relief. Save for three strands of hair, he was completely bald. He had a long peppered mustache that reached down to his stomach. He wore a long gray robe that looked as if it belonged to a simple beggar. “Oh, that’s a relief. The princess comes to the library from time to time. Unlike her father, she has an appreciation for knowledge.”

  Zoen nodded. “Yes. I was surprised to see how she treated her servants. She saw them as friends, not as pieces of property. Very strange indeed.”

  “You want to see strange? Follow me and take a look at this.” Frode moved down the empty hallways of the grand library. His slow footsteps echoed loudly across the walls that seemed to reach up to the sky. High arched windows let rays of morning light into the otherwise dark room. All around them were stairs upon stairs that led up to over a dozen levels. Each level contained countless shelves stacked with books, both new and old. Even though hardly anyone came to the majestic library anymore (most people were too busy scraping for food to stay alive), it still required constant tending. Which is where Aadi and Zoen came in. Many were the days they spent dusting books and keeping them in order. Aadi would much rather scour the streets, but his friend enjoyed being surrounded by the books, so he joined him from time to time.

  The master record keeper stood behind the oak wood counter. He reached under it and took out a rolled up scroll. He placed it down on the counter and spread it open. Aadi reached out and touched the rough texture as he took in the aroma of dry ink.

  “Keep your hands off of it,” said Frode, swatting Aadi’s hand away. “This scroll is over a thousand years old.”

  Zoen stood around the scroll, his eyes twinkling with admiration. “Truly amazing. Judging from these blue lines on top, I would surmise that it came from one of the water cities. The text is written in a highly arched manner. Is it from the Maki people?”

  “Very good,” said Frode. He looked down at Zoen as if he had just found his successor. “Very good indeed. You are correct. This scroll was sent to me by the Master
Record Keeper of Amanzi, the largest water capital city in Va’siel. He found it in an excavation of the Maki ruins.” He turned the scroll toward his heir apparent. “Can you read the text?”

  Zoen’s face lit up. He began to read in a hushed whisper. Aadi couldn’t really hear him, but judging from the way his friend’s frown increased each passing second, he figured it couldn’t be anything good. By the time Zoen reached the last line, all the joy had been wiped from his face.

  “What does it say?” Aadi asked, not really sure he wanted to know the answer.

  The record keeper answered. “As I’m sure you’re aware, before their unexplained disappearance hundreds of years ago, the Maki people wrote down many predictions that have come to pass.” Aadi nodded knowingly, even though he had no idea what Frode was talking about. “This scroll relays such a prediction.” He held it up and began to read out loud:

  “And from the cold depths of space, the creature will arrive. It is a harbinger of death that consumes all planets in its path. Its eternal quest to sate its endless hunger can never be fulfilled.

  It will eat at the very energy of the Va’siel, as it has done to many other planets for countless millennia, until Va’siel is nothing more than a lifeless rock.

  Thousands of the most powerful warriors have faced off against it, none have survived, and none ever will. For if the creature falls, it will take all it has claimed with it.”

  “What does it all mean?” asked Aadi, his mouth going dry.

  “It means that we may well have found the reason that no earth wielders have been born in Va’siel. Whoever or whatever this creature is, it has sucked away the earth ability from the planet. But even more disturbing is the fact that I don’t think it will stop there.”

  “It will take away another element soon,” added Zoen. His face was pale and his hunched frame shook. “There are six basic elements and six advanced elements. I imagine that another basic element like fire, mind, or wind will be extinguished. But it might be an advanced element as well. Lightning, poison, or maybe even darkness.”

  “Yes, you could be correct.” The record keeper looked just as shaken. “The people of Amanzi have had some mild success, making small parts of their land fertile enough for small-scale farming. They did it by amassing their water wielders together and having them wield extreme levels of water into the earth. However, just as it looked like they might make some progress, many of the wielders started reporting difficulty wielding. Some have even said that they are not able to wield at all. Which leads me and my fellow record keepers to believe that this creature is now poised to take another element from Va’siel.” He breathed in deeply. “Water.”

  No more water? thought Aadi, grasping the seriousness of the situation. How are we to survive without water to drink?

  “Why hasn’t this been brought to the attention of the emperors?” Zoen asked.

  “It has,” claimed Frode. His eyebrows lowered and pinched together. “But the emperor of Amanzi dismissed the claims from the scroll as superstitious rubbish. That is why the scroll has been sent to me. I was to garner evidence and seek audience with the emperor of Missea and show our findings. However, the emperor dismissed my findings as well. My only hope is to send it to another capital city and hope that the master record keeper has more luck there. I was considering Ladria.”

  “Ladria?” Zoen asked, making a disgusted face. “Aren’t they a lot of pompous aristocrats? If our people didn’t listen, I doubt they will.”

  “It is true that they are rather…hard to please,” said Frode. “But they have the largest collection of mind wielders than anyone else in Va’siel. Perhaps someone there will take notice of the scroll and recognize how dire our situation is.”

  “I don’t like those ifs,” said Aadi. “I say we take matters into our own hands and find this creature, or at least spread the word about the scroll.”

  “No!” Zoen and Frode both cried.

  Aadi looked back at them blankly. “Why not?”

  Zoen pointed at the scroll. “Weren’t you listening? The strongest warriors in the universe have not been able to defeat it. How could you?”

  Frode nodded in approval. “And even if someone managed to kill it., the creature would just take the power of earth and water with it, which would ultimately lead to our death. Whatever we do, we’re damned.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “We need to take this slow.”

  Aadi did not mention another word on the topic, but even as he began dusting the books, he ran different scenarios around in his head. The story from the scroll had awakened something in him, a hope and desire to aid those around him on a larger scale. How long could he continue scraping up food for his friend? Eventually it would all be gone. His chest burned with intensity. He wasn’t about to simply stand back and do nothing. All his life he had believed in making his own luck. In taking the bad and making it into something positive. This situation wasn’t any different.

  He would find this creature and bring hope back to Va’siel. How? He did not know. But like everything in life, he would take it in stride and figure it out on the way.

  CHAPTER 4

  Aadi moved over the wooden bridge, past the ramen shop, through the park (which mostly consisted of dead grass and hard dirt), and around the countless beat down cabins. Most were made of hollowed wood, but he saw a few that consisted of palm leaves.

  His heart beat hard in his chest as he stood at he city gates of Missea. The sun was now hiding behind the distant mountains, creating a layer of red and pink on the skyline. He scanned the area. Few people moved about the city, mostly men coming back from work in the mines. They wore grimy overalls. Their faces were caked with layers of dirt.

  No one paid him any attention. They didn’t even trouble themselves with acknowledging his presence. A short man in a brown tunic looked at him momentarily, but he immediately looked back down and continued on his way.

  “Hello there,” said a voice behind him.

  He turned around to be welcomed by Ishani’s mesmerizing smile. Her hair came down in silky layers, ending where her neck began. Bindi head jewelry came over her forehead.

  For a second he blanked out, unable to formulate full words. All that bravado he had felt when he had first met her had now dissolved. “Um…s…” He cleared his throat. “Hello, you look um…wow.”

  Ishani blushed. “Thank you. You look very nice yourself.”

  Aadi looked down at the old Rohad uniform he had borrowed from Frode’s collection. He frowned, highly doubting he looked good in the dark brown pants and shirt. “Thanks.”

  “So where is this amazing place you spoke so fondly off?”

  Still a bit flabbergasted, he pointed toward the rocky path out of the city. “That way. Don’t worry, it’s not too far out, I promise.”

  He motioned her forward and she followed along. They walked around the family of half-dead Sicoris trees and down a rocky slope. The air blew briskly, playing with her hair and tickling his nose with the sweet scent of jasmine. It all served to make his insides melt as he searched for words to say. Usually he had no problem talking, but right now he was a full-fledged mute.

  After about five minutes, she broke the silence. “So, how many girls do you bring down here to this place of yours?”

  He staggered for nervous second. “Me? Why, no other girls. You’re the first one I have ever revealed my secret to.” He guided her off the beaten path and deeper into the thistle-filled desert. A minute later, he spotted the small dark hole in the side of the cliff. From a distance it blended in so well with the rest of the rock wall, that it looked like nothing more than a part of it.

  Aadi knew better. “That’s a cave entrance,” he said.

  “Cave?” She staggered for a second. “You didn’t say anything about a cave.”

  “That’s part of the surprise.”

  “I’ll have you know that I have trained with many martial arts masters and am proficient in over a dozen defense styles.” E
ven though her words were firm, he could tell by her smile that she trusted him.

  “I’m glad. That way you can protect me if a bandit attacks. C’mon.” He hunched over and made his way into the musky cave. Behind him, he could hear Ishani grunting softly. A moment later the cave walls extended and they were both able to stand upright. He felt the cool breeze of the mist on his face. A few feet later he saw it. The water of the small pond was as pristine as ever. He could see through it as clearly as he could see Ishani. She stood with eyes wide.

  “How did you ever find such a place? It’s beautiful. And so secluded.”

  “You’d be surprised the places you’ll find when you’re constantly on the run from the guards.” He went to the corner of the cave and opened the small bag he had stashed earlier that evening. He spread out the blanket over the slab of rock that was directly beside the water. He then set a single red rose in the middle of the blanket. He didn’t really see the use for it, but Zoen had told him that it was what some of the heroes from the books he read did to impress a girl. He then served them both a glass of cider.

  Ishani took a seat beside him. “I’m impressed. You think of everything. The flower is a really nice touch.”

  Thanks, Zoen, he thought. “Um…well, yes. I had some help with that.”

  “Your friend from earlier, I suppose?”

  “Yes, actually. His name is Zoen. He can be a bit bossy at times, but he’s great. And he’s the only guy who can tolerate my crazy antics.”

  “Sounds like a great friend. How did you meet?”

  “I had stolen some food for …” He paused as he felt a slight empty feeling in his gut. Before, he had never felt embarrassed to say that he had stolen food from rich, but now, for once, a sense of shame washed over him. Nonetheless, he was not one to lie. He took a breath and continued. “The rich families had had a good harvest, so I took some of their carrots for the kids down at the orphanage. I had just made the delivery when the guards caught up with me. I had nowhere to run but the Grand Library of Missea. It was there that I found Zoen. His family had abandoned him at birth. And unlike anyone I know, he actually likes going to the library and to read.”