The boy nodded once more. Erendar offered him a hand. Together, they went to the throne room to begin their training.
---
“Where is the rug?” Lenthean asked. The vibrant red rug was absent from its previous locale. Multiple servants in white rushed back and forth to stage Erendar’s request. Erendar stood atop the steps of the throne and watched the servants remove all objects in their way to other rooms in the castle.
Erendar answered Lenthean, “We are making way for the future, Lenthean. We are about to perform our very first test.”
Lenthean looked around. He was nervous. “Test? I still need more training, there’s no way I’m capable of doing this yet.”
Erendar walked up to him and put a strong hand on his shoulder. “I believe in you, Lenthean. Besides, what better way to learn than trial by fire?” Erendar then walked past the boy. “Shadow Elementalist!” Erendar announced from over his own shoulder. “Consult with Arrogan. Equip your Elementalist armor. It is time to make history, my friend.”
Lenthean nodded. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. The boy thought of the nightmares he had always had. The terrors in the night. His most terrifying moments of life. His worst fears formulating into reality. His mother passing. His uncle murdered. The world torn apart from the inside out. Demons of darkness terrorizing the mortal world.
And before he could say it, Lenthean was standing before Arrogan in the shadow cave as he once did before. Arrogan’s pearly-white smile was wide from ear to ear.
Well . . . This surely was unexpected to see you again, my Elementalist . . . hehehahhaha . . .
Lenthean looked up high to Arrogan’s face. “I need my Elementalist armor. I am finally putting an end to you and your wretched ways of fear and hate.”
Are you so sure this is your fix for all of your fancy problems? Hehehahaha . . . I am a god, not something to be solved; you will at least carry my burden for the world. It will never go away. You will carry all of the world’s fears as one man if you do this. Can you handle me? Hehehahaha. . .
“Yes. I will make this sacrifice for the world.”
Arrogan held something the size of a grain of salt in between his twiggy fingers. He tossed it at the boy from his mountain-sized throne. The boy’s Elementalist armor bounced in the loose, black dirt at his feet, rattling as it did.
Arrogan’s smile thickened and his neck twisted around and around and around. I look forward to your eternal torment with me . . . hehehahahahaha. Arrogan, the God of Shadows, disappeared into thin air. Lenthean was back in the Der’ Tanel throne room. He and Erendar were both clad in Elementalist gear now.
Erendar turned to him. “Excellent,” he said with a smile.
“What is this?” Lenthean asked the Der’ Tanellian. The boy walked up on the servants with brushes painting a red symbol on the marble floors. The symbol was large and eery, occupying much of the floor space in the throne room.
“Is this . . . is this the Shadow Eye? The marking on my arm?” It was the same marking his mother had told him he had carved into the table at the young age of three.
“Yes. Yes, it is the same marking.” Erendar smiled.
“Why is it red?” Lenthean asked.
“It’s blood,” Erendar replied.
Lenthean whipped his head to look at Erendar. “Not to worry,” Erendar assured. “It is only to appease your Shadow God. The blood is of those fallen in war. A shame, really. The very war we seek to eliminate. You aren’t going to let using blood of the deceased prevent you from stopping more blood from being unnaturally spilled, are you?”
“Well, no . . . I—”
“Good.” Erendar cut the boy off. Erendar waved his hand high at the guards. They rushed in two Der’ Tanellian people in shackles. Shortly thereafter, the servants had concluded their illustration of the floor’s shadow-blood marking. The watching eye. Blood trickled away at some spots. The boy glared into the eye with discontent. The guards forced the two prisoners to kneel before the two Elementalists. They were old and haggard people. The cloth on their knees was dyed red now from kneeling in the red blood of the eye’s iris on the castle’s surface.
“State your business,” Erendar demanded.
Only the sound of chains rattling was heard. The two prisoners refused to speak. Lenthean watched in an attempt to learn of Erendar’s methods. Erendar snapped his fingers and the guards pressed the blade of their polearms to the prisoner’s throats. Lenthean flinched, but did not stop them.
The old Der’ Tanellian gulped. He shook in his shackles and frowned. “You are sickening, and mad,” the prisoner spat. “I would rather see this nation fall to war and despair than see you rise, Erendar.”
Erendar pointed casually to the two prisoners. He looked to the boy and said, “Do you see, Lenthean? Even some of my own people are deceived by the world’s twisted views on me and my people. They’d rather a war break out than to see me or my brothers in power. And for what? All we want is for peace and prosperity. You’ve seen how well our people have been, have you not?”
The boy nodded, albeit reluctantly.
“These two men were found with poison daggers in their satchels. They sought to murder your mother last night, Lenthean. It is time,” Erendar urgently suggested. “They are the perfect test subjects, after all.”
Lenthean looked at the prisoners with a hateful eye. “What shall I do?” the boy asked for guidance.
“You must kneel before me. Match your palms to the blood of the symbol on the floor. Feel the shadows of these people, and I will work through you. This is how we will make our vision a reality, my fellow Elementalist.”
The boy nodded. His heart raced, and it was difficult to swallow. The boy paced to his position; it seemed to take a lifetime. He fell to his knees and arched his back as his palms sunk into the blood. The blood had become cold and thickened in the time it was idle on the ground. Lenthean almost wanted to vomit at its texture but was willing to do this for the world’s benefit.
Erendar’s thick boots could be heard trudging up from behind. He spoke from behind Lenthean, “I will place my hands upon your head and change these beings to see a better world. Clasp onto their shadows, Lenthean. Don’t let go of them.”
The boy blinked. He focused firmly on their shadows. His two targets. Their shadows were moving and wiggling like heatwaves under a summer sun. They trickled toward his fingertips like ocean sand tugged away from a shoreline. The shadows met his fingertips like tiny hands latching onto a cliff. The shadows were spread thin. Lenthean felt Erendar’s ring-adorned hands move through his hair and grip his scalp.
“Are you ready?” Erendar asked the boy.
“Yes,” Lenthean answered. “I am ready.”
Erendar’s grip tightened on the boy’s head. A cold, unnatural feeling stemmed from the dome of his head down his spine. It felt like a chilly pool of mud sludging its way through his back and limbs. The boy yelped at the discomfort. The shadows wouldn’t let go of his fingers; they were latched firmly to the tips. A white mist inched its way over Lenthean’s limbs and then onto the shadows. It made its way to the intended targets and seeped through all available orifices, such as nostrils and mouth. The prisoners gasped and yelped with discomfort as well. Lenthean watched powerlessly, at the mercy of Erendar’s decision. He could only hope Erendar would keep his word. The pain had better be worth it, the boy thought.
Erendar spoke in a voice that sounded like an echo. “Unified we stand.”
“Unified we stand,” the two prisoners repeated without any hesitation.
“The world seeks destruction of unity.”
“The world seeks destruction of unity,” they repeated.
“We shall purge the world of greed.”
“We shall purge the world of greed.”
“A new tomorrow, Der’ Tanel will rise.”
“A new tomorrow, Der’ Tanel will rise.”
“The world will beg for forgiveness in the end.”
&nbs
p; “The world will beg for forgiveness in the end.”
“We will have them under our new world order.”
“We will have them under our new world order.”
“Buhk na ve Deh meh lah.”
“Buhk na ve Deh meh lah.”
“Long live the Brotherhood.”
“Long live the Brotherhood.”
Erendar freed his grip on Lenthean’s head. The boy fell forward and caught himself. Erendar slipped his grip through the boy’s underarm and hoisted him back to his feet. “Take a look,” he said to Lenthean. The boy turned his head to the prisoners, who were immediately freed from their shackles by some of the guards.
Lenthean was shocked. The guards handed the two prisoners the polearms they themselves had once wielded. The two prisoners maintained a blank stare at the weapons that were dormant in their hands. Both dropped their polearms and met eyes with Erendar and Lenthean. They walked quickly to the two and wrapped their arms tightly around Lenthean and Erendar in a warm embrace.
Erendar lightly patted the “assailant” on the back. He looked over at Lenthean to witness the boy’s expression. The boy couldn’t help it. He was impressed. While the method wasn’t ideal, it was clear that Erendar’s plan had worked. The two prisoners broke free and thanked the Elementalists for their time before being escorted from the castle.
“We haven’t much time, Lenthean. We must enact this plan now, before war is at our doorstep.”
“I must say, Erendar. I am willing, but I need some more time to train. That was a strain to consciously grip those shadows like that. It’s not as easy as it looks.”
The throne doors exploded open. “My lord Erendar!” Both Elementalists turned to face the voice. The Der’ Tanellian was breathless and scrambling in. “The Darthians, they’ve invaded Denduthal, which means they will be here by tomorrow at nightfall! We’ve already lost the city! They are on their way here now! They are making way for our great city, my lord!”
Erendar swore. “A counter offensive . . .” Erendar peered over at Lenthean. “How is that for timing?”
Lenthean practically begged for the news to be false. “How sure are you? How sure are you they are going to attack us?”
“I am completely certain, Lenthean. Do you hear the drums of war?”
Lenthean detected a low rumble in the distance.
The boy looked down to his feet.
“Lenthean,” Erendar encouraged. “I know you can do this. You know you can do this. The time is now. It’s time for you to make a difference in the world, before it’s too late.”
35: The Fall
By midday the following day, Erendar and Lenthean had not yet met up, which was unusual past noon. Lenthean could hear something audible in the distance. What was it? That . . . That ringing . . . Those sounds were so familiar. He scoured the horizon from his windowsill the best he could, but he could not see it all from his perspective.
Down the tower stairs in the main chamber, the boy could hear the rattling of soldiers and war equipment being readied for a conflict. The boy took to the stairs and burst through the door into the main hall.
“What is that sound?!” Lenthean asked. Erendar stood atop the stairs of the castle gazing down the city corridor at the marching ranks of Der’ Tanel soldiers, who were making their way to an inevitable doom.
“That is the sound of blades clashing. Shields breaking. Souls being lost,” Erendar told Lenthean. The boy ran to catch up to Erendar’s position on the steps. “The fighting, it has already begun.”
“What must we do? I’ll try anything to end it now. I can’t have another battle unfold when I know there is something we can do about it,” Lenthean practically pleaded.
“We must make way for the heart of our city. For we have illuminated the Shadow Symbol as we have demonstrated in this hall. Allow me to lead us there.”
Erendar quickly paced down the steps and Lenthean followed suit. At the bottom of the stairs, the two Elementalists engaged in a jog past ranks of Der’ Tanel soldiers.
It was just as Lenthean had seen before, only from the other side now. The Der’ Tanel soldiers marched in red and gold in perfectly uniform ranks. They boy’s heart raced, for he could already hear the screams. The violence. The death. He could not wait any longer; he had to act to save these people’s lives. He was feeling frantic; he had to save them before too many more were lost.
“This way!” Erendar commanded. Lenthean and Erendar zipped through back alleys and hurtled over various barrels and other objects. Whizzing by their heads were candle fixtures and prominent window frames. Occasionally they would blast beside a Der’ Tanellian citizen, all too confused in the commotion of the invasion. “Come on!” Erendar continued to shout back at the boy. Their running speed picked up pace, as did the sounds of war. The sound of catapult projectiles whistled in the air. The eventual rumble in the earth was felt by the boy’s intermittent steps as he ran.
“How much farther?” Lenthean shouted.
“Not more than one league from here; come on! There is no time to waste!”
The two continued to rapidly make way, leaping in their dashing Elementalist armor.
With a snag, Erendar slammed to the wall. He let out a grunt of pain. Lenthean slipped and struggled to gain traction, but managed to stay on his feet. “You all right?” the boy exclaimed.
“Yes, I’m all right,” Erendar answered calmly. Down one of the hallways, an arrow had pummeled through his cape and pinned it to the wall.
Lenthean placed one hand against the wall and wrapped the other firmly around the arrow, tugging Erendar’s cape free. The boy held the arrow in his hand as Erendar said, “They’ve already made their way into the city. We will be very fortunate to make it to the circle in time. We need to run faster than you ever have run before.”
The boy nodded. “I have a way to get us there much, much faster.” Lenthean put his arm firmly over Erendar’s much taller shoulder. “Through the shadows—are you ready to go under?”
Erendar smiled widely. “Excellent,” he said.
Lenthean tugged down on Erendar and pulled him into the shadows resting dormant on the pavement. They sunk in like a pool of water and could see everything above them.
Lenthean navigated their way and zipped through the many dark parts of the city. They arrived at their destination in nearly an instant.
The two emerged from the pavement’s shadows and Erendar, from his knees, crawled up to his feet. “Very good,” Erendar said, dusting off his thighs.
Lenthean smiled too. He whipped his glance from left to right and saw the puddles of blood like he had previously seen in the throne room. Only this symbol was obviously much, much larger. Based on the size of the pupil, Lenthean figured the Shadow Eye had to be the size of nearly the whole city. He nearly gagged at the sheer amount of blood cooking under the sun on the pavement.
“I know what you’re thinking, Lenthean. But do not worry—these markings are the blood of traitors and wrong-doers. It is only to satisfy Arrogan. I wouldn’t use the blood of innocents; you know that. It’s a small price to pay for murder being purged from this world. Wouldn’t you agree?”
The boy wiped his lips of the bile coming from his soft gags. He nodded reluctantly, for he knew it was the price to pay to Arrogan, the Shadow God.
“Good. Quickly now. There isn’t time. We have exhausted it. Kneel in the blood, or we’ll never make it.”
Lenthean gagged once more, then placed his knees in the epicenter of the pupil—the large pool of blood. The boy could see it staining the crevices in his Elementalist armor as well as coating it in deep red on the pearly black and gold platemail parts. The boy reluctantly submerged his black gloves in the blood. He felt a droplet of sweat beginning to build on his forehead. It trembled as he did, and his cross-eyed vision witnessed it gain more and more weight as it attempted to free itself from the lad’s face. The droplet fell into the blood, and the blood’s consistency coagulated slightly around t
he drop of sweat. The boy gagged; he could practically taste the blood in the air.
He continued to sweat as he waited for Erendar’s next move.
“I’m ready,” the boy confirmed. His heart raced. His stomach felt sick.
Erendar was silent while standing behind him. The boy’s heart raced as he quivered in the blood. The sweat from his forehead was dripping repeatedly now.
Erendar whispered words from behind Lenthean. “Now . . .” Lenthean heard him say. “Now our mission can finally be realized. World peace. World unity. World freedom. Long live Aderan. Long live Der’ Tanel. Buhk na ve Deh meh lah. Long live the Brotherhood.”
Elementalist: The New Inheritance Page 23