by 5kops
Another wave pulsed, this one standing time on its side.
Areck looked around, noticing that several riders had followed his mad dash. The only rider who mattered was Lord Silvershield who was caught in the middle of a time-altering wave, mouth agape with shock.
The limitless canyon walls looked like dark glass. No wildlife remained. The pulse of the globe had hit a crescendo. Nothing moved. The riders were captured in mid-stride. One had his sword drawn.
The pulsing stopped.
There was an unbearable silence.
As far as Areck could see, nothing moved besides himself. The restraints that had bound him were no longer in effect. It was as if time no longer existed.
Areck walked over to the landslide hovering several feet above Arawnn's unconscious body. He reached out and touched one of the stones. To his amazement, it no longer felt like rock, rather it felt like . . . roast beef. At this thought, the landslide turned into giant haunches of roasted meat.
Areck snatched his hand back and paced around the oddity. With uncertainty, he reached out to touch the savory beef, and once again it transformed, this time into a rubbery stone. Areck took a step backward. Taking no chances, he did his best to avoid the hovering rock, knelt down, and reached for Arawnn. The young man looked in dire condition but breathed; blood no longer flowing into his throat. Areck reached towards the courier but before he made contact, a shiver ran down his spine.
Areck was too logical to just reach out and help the man.
I don't even know what's happening, he thought, looking around at the carnage that had affected everything but him.
What if I kill him? What if he awakes?
Areck scowled. He had changed so much over the course of the last seven days. Even now, as he knelt over his fallen comrade, he envisioned the stupid grin Arawnn would be wearing. In that moment a new thought came to him.
If Arawnn was not meant to survive, I could never have saved him in the first place, Areck deduced, reaching his hand back to the courier.
The instant Areck touched the courier's face, he was struck with a blinding flash that threw him back several yards. When he opened his eyes, Areck stared in horror as an unconscious Arawnn was picked up off the ground, hovering as if an unseen hand held him in place. Areck tried to move but could not.
The divine pain started. First it felt like needles behind his eyes. It spread down through his chest and stomach until it reached the tips of his feet, becoming so bad that Areck nearly lost cognizant thought. He wanted to scream out for it to stop but he couldn't.
As Areck writhed in pain, he never noticed the wounds on Arawnn's limp body close. Nor did he notice that his friend grew an inch and put on several pounds of muscle. He if had been looking, he might have thought that maybe Arawnn was being recreated in a new imagine—a better, more proper courier.
Just as Arawnn's final wound closed, the unseen force which had held Areck in place picked him up and moved him into a standing position. Again another powerful wave of divine sickness rolled over him and he screamed in pain.
Trying to keep from losing his mind, Areck forced his eyes open. What greeted him was something that would forever change him: the ghostly apparition of his soul was climbing out of his body. The pain of it all made him feel like he was about to explode, like his organs wished to burst out of his chest. It was too much for his mind to handle.
Areck passed out but something brought him back, giving him a sense of clarity and calm.
His face contorted in pain Areck tried to snatch at his ghosdy phantom but his fingers passed through the incorporeal body as his soul started to move away. It was then that Areck noticed another phantom, the soul of Arawnn, climbing out of its body.
Areck was horrified as the pair of ghosdy souls passed through each other, never looking back to their parent bodies.
The force holding both Arawnn and Areck in place vanished, dropping both men roughly to the ground.
With little time to react, Areck scutded backwards, hands stinging from gravel. He had not noticed the trajectory of either soul as they floated in opposite directions of their bodies. It wasn't until Arawnn's ghostly apparition was nearly upon him that Areck understood that it was coming for him.
Seeing that the apparition wasn't going to stop, he rolled onto his knees and pushed himself up. He took several steps away and the apparition continued floating towards him.
For the first time in his young life, Areck felt truly afraid. He told himself that this was not happening, that he was delusional, under a wizard's spell. However his frantic thoughts did nothing to stop the progress of the ghostly soul's relentless approach.
He looked around to find a route of escape. There was nowhere to run. The apparition moved in unison with him. It was coming for him.
Areck steeled his resolve.
If it is coming for me and I am the only one unaffected, then I may be the reason for all of this, he thought. This could all be my fault.
Areck turned around, his face stoic. He did not understand what was happening, but there was no honor in running away from fate. If sacrificing himself meant saving reality, there was no choice; he would die with the honor of a knight.
Areck stood his ground as the apparition floated towards him. Its eyes were pulsing with an eerie reflection of multiple timelines, possibilities of the future.
Areck reached out, inviting the phantom into his arms. He looked over to see his own soul dive into Arawnn.
There was pain.
It only lasted for a moment, however, before he passed out.
****
Areck's eyes flew open; he sucked in a breath of air. His lungs felt full of water, as though he was half-drowned. His eyes did not recognize the multitude of color that filled his vision. He lay on the ground and something very large was blocking out the afternoon sun. He pushed himself up and squinted, which did not immediately help but he was able to discern that he was under a cliff that was suspended several feet above his head.
Memories came flooding back. Areck remembered the phantom's outstretched arms and its painful touch. He remembered time in its unchanging glory; a great wheel turning, unaltered by events.
Areck closed his eyes. When he opened them, strands of history formed in front of him: that which would happen, that which had happened, that which was plausible, and that which in fact was. History dissipated and several new threads weaved themselves into the vacant space.
This is impossible, he thought, trying to comprehend. Time is infallible. It was created by God. Nothing can undo the truth.
Areck looked over to see Arawnn frozen in time, fully awake, terror etched on his chiseled features.
Areck felt an immense pressure build. A sharp pain ran up his spine and spread into his neck, moving into his eyes. The pain was excruciating. Areck thought his head would explode. He reached both hands to his temples. The pain hit a crescendo.
Areck began screaming. Light poured from his mouth, eyes, nostrils, and ears.
Boom.
All energy gathered itself into Areck, creating a loud crackle. He knew he was about to die.
Boom.
The shockwave that was released from Areck's body tore into the rock hovering above him, reducing it to dust. It rippled outward, searing away all chaos that remained of the distortion. The final wave repaired the residual damage of time.
Areck collapsed face down, smoke rising from his body.
****
Areck's eyes snapped open. He shoved himself up and rubbed his hands over his still smoking body. Seeing that he was still alive, he fell to his knees and looked to Heaven, tears welling in his eyes.
"I have seen your miracle!" he screamed to the skies, his hands outstretched.
Areck barely noticed that Arawnn was alive, hands reaching out in reverence. He hardly felt the touch. He only heard the courier laughing hysterically before tears began to pour.
Areck turned to regard his friend. H
e wanted to explain that sacrificing oneself in the name of God was blessed. And that any knight would have done the same thing.
"How . . .? How?" Arawnn choked, his face without any trace of the dignity and humor it once held.
"Lord Malketh was the traitor," Areck replied, trying to comfort his friend. "I could not bear the burden of knowing you were riding with the betrayer."
"No .. . you did . . . There were angels! I saw!"
Areck assumed that his friend was talking about the landslide. "We are taught that God will protect those who serve him the most," he said proudly of the miracle.
The words did not have any effect on Arawnn. Areck reached back and gently slapped the courier. Although it did not bring Arawnn out of his maddened state, it seemed to bring some order to his addled mind.
Arawnn reached to touch the squire's face. The touch was gende, reverent. The royal courier retracted his fingers and held them in front of his own face, eyes wide with wonder.
"Breathe," Areck whispered to his friend. "What do you see?"
Arawnn lifted his eyes. He was looking at something very far off. The soft lines of his friend's face no longer existed; neither did any hint that the man had been injured. The young man looked different, as if he had suffered a tremendous trauma. He trembled in shock.
"I saw my death," Arawnn said. "I saw so many things, things that weren't meant for my eyes."
"Keep breathing," Areck said, knowing that the commander would appear any moment. He turned around to see Lord Silvershield standing next to Thomas and Lord Marqel, watching him with wide eyes.
The silence of the canyon made him uneasy. Everyone was staring at him, and the animals looked at him as well.
"My lords ... are you okay?" Areck asked.
Lord Silvershield was the first to break out of the trance. He carried his girth down to Arawnn. "Your friend here is going to need a cleric, lad," Lord Silvershield said, doing his best not to look into his squire's eyes.
"What is wrong with him? I . . . killed Lord Malketh before he could do anymore damage."
Then he remembered riding past the fallen Lord Vinion. He bit back another reply, lowering his gaze in shame at not being able to warn Lord Vinion of the danger. It was his fault that this entire thing had happened. He should have figured it out sooner.
Lord Silvershield stared at him with wide eyes.
"My lord?" Silence. "My lord, why are you all staring at me?"
"He ... is a ... an angel . . ." Arawnn babbled, again reaching out to touch the squire.
"I'm a what?' Areck asked, backing away from the four men.
Lord Silvershield squinted in thought. "I don't know what it was that you did, lad. But you are either a Champion of God or not of this existence."
"What are you talking about?" Areck pleaded, losing all semblance of dignity.
It all seemed like a dream. This is impossible, he thought. There is no way for history to be changed. What have I done?
"There is no way to explain what we saw," said the baron, clutching his hands. "It was as if time had stopped. Well, except for you. You performed miracles. There was light. Everywhere I looked I saw you, and time was passing in waves, and . . . and there was madness. I thought I would surely perish."
Thomas looked scared. The guard captain looked like he was staring at a ghost. "I saw you rip the spirit from that man," Thomas nodded at Arawnn as he spoke. 'You surely must be an angel."
He's looking at me as if I am a demon. Areck thought. They all are.
"It is not my place to question God, Areck. You are his tool, there can be no doubt about that now," Lord Silvershield said. "We will report this to no one. I do not know what is about to come, but only bad things can come of spreading this information. Would you all agree with that?"
"I am not even sure if what I just witnessed was real." Baron Marqel looked at his hands. He looked like he was about to cry, clenching his fists as though to check if he were real.
"It was real," Thomas stated, his voice quivering in fear. "However, I do not want this information to leak before the High Lightbringer can be made aware of it. I, for one, won't be saying anything."
"I don't want anything to do with this!" Areck blurted, his face ashen. "I wasn't responsible for this!"
"Calm down, Squire." Lord Silvershield did his best to keep his voice even and stern. "You have been bestowed a great honor."
"We need to get Arawnn to Natalinople," Marqel added. "Or should we send one of my own couriers with the news?"
"No," Silvershield replied. "No disrespect, my lord, but the High Lightbringer would never permit the impending fate of the realm to ride with common couriers."
"Then what do you suggest?" Thomas asked, alight with anger at being called common.
"Send the boy." Marqel nodded at Areck, no emotion in his voice.
Lord Silvershield looked at the squire, lips pursed in thought. "I am thinking about taking Lord Lightbringer's orders myself."
"Who will lead us, then?" Areck asked.
"You will, lad," replied Silvershield, no longer looking like the weathered old man that he was. The smell of beer was gone and his look of sorrow had faded.
"My lord! I hesitate to take such an honor after all of this."
"You have no choice. The company will need a commanding officer; you are the highest ranking member left. I no longer hesitate to appoint you. Neither will I waste time explaining my reasons," Lord Silvershield said.
"Will Arawnn be okay?" Areck asked.
"Like I said before, this young man needs a cleric," Silvershield said of poor Arawnn. "His mind has been seriously addled by our current situation."
"You think it is safe to take the young man with you, Bowon?" Baron Marqel asked.
"I don't see any other choice," Thomas spoke up. "Brother Parley is no longer stationed with us. It will be at least seven days ride back to Aresleigh."
"I agree, captain," Lord Silvershield stated. "There is no avoiding this. Arawnn will have to come with me. It will reduce the speed at which I can travel, but it is the only way to save the young man's mind."
"Give me a hand, Squire," Silvershield said as he reached out to pull Arawnn to his feet.
Areck hurried to the commander's aid. He positioned himself to carry the majority of the mad courier's weight and staggered with Lord Silvershield to the courier's mount. The men pushed Arawnn into the saddle, while Thomas tied the courier into place.
"Lord Marqel," Bowon began as he swung himself into his saddle, "will you do me an honor and send your fastest courier back to Aresleigh and inform both Duke Hawkwind and High Lightbringer Taryon of our struggles?"
The baron nodded.
"Thank you, my old friend." Lord Silvershield nodded back. "Let them know that our company has encountered several casualties, that I have appointed Areck as the first-lieutenant, and that I am continuing out my orders by escorting Arawnn to the lord constable. Make no mention of this miracle."
Lord Silvershield looked to Areck, no longer as a father. He had changed in the moment since his revelation. He looked years younger, and his eyes were clear and thoughtful.
"As for you, Areck, the rest of the company will head to the town of Brenly and wait for my return. You will need this," Silvershield said, pulling the insignia of rank from his cloak. "You are to follow through with these orders and get my men to Brenly. You will also promote a squire whom you see fit to replace your role as under-lieutenant. I will do my best to return to you within two weeks."
Areck gave a resigned sigh. He was not worthy of such attention. He was not an angel. He was not a Champion of God. He was just lucky to have been in the right place at the right time. Look at all the chaos he had caused.
"My lord." Areck took the insignia, and gave a formal bow to his commander.
Lord Silvershield pulled the reigns of Arawnn's mount and gave a sharp whistle. Areck swore he heard him say, "I have finally found it. God, if you are still listening, I th
ink have finally found it."
****
Silverwing perched high in the Dragonspine Mountains, her sparkling green eyes keen against the backdrop of her mountain home. She had resided in the greatest of the Three Sentinels, Mount Valadon, for nearly twenty years, searching out all ancient information in the region. She had been able to hoard several volumes of ancient text that God would wish translated, though why the All-Knowing would need her assistance was beyond her. Still, she did not question an edict from the All-Mighty. She had been about to began translation on one of the priesdy scriptures she had confiscated during her latest travels when her sharp draconic eyes picked up riders traveling down the King's Road toward Natalinople.
Then something happened that defied all belief. Being pardy divine, she felt reality tear in the vicinity of the riders.
Silverwing was too curious not to approach. She flew towards the powerful source of divine intervention. It was not common to witness a miracle. In fact, she was seeking miracles. In all of her twelve thousand years of life she had only witnessed a few occasions when the All-Knowing or one of His servants had intervened into the life of mortals.
Silverwing glided to a position high in the eastern hills which overlooked the King's Road. To her surprise a powerful globe of divine power had began to coalesce. What happened next was far beyond anything she could understand. In the middle of it all a human male stood, calling upon such divine energy that it rivaled one of her kind. In fact, the man was doing something far greater than anything outside of God. She watched as powerful waves of heavenly energy poured from the globe, stopped time, and unmade anything it touched.
She could no longer deny the truth; she was witnessing a true miracle.
With a gaze to the man in the middle of it all, Silverwing extended her mighty wings and soared off. She had research to do.
****
Bowon Silvershield rode toward Natalinople, his mind in turmoil. He had not felt such trepidation in ten years. His faith had been given rebirth, yet fear was mixed in with the joy of possible redemption: fear of himself. He had once been given the prophecy that he was the bringer of death. His sword arm would cause betrayal and the subsequent downfall of the Bre'Dmorians. It was the price of one who had failed in his faith. He knew that.