by Ron Glick
“And their deaths brought the peace they so vehemently opposed.”
Malik took a moment to admire how well the boy was growing. This particular pocket did not work as others he had created did. The God was not entirely sure why, but time did not move the same way within the boundaries of this area. An object – or in this case, a person – left here would age rapidly while time in the outside world crawled by comparison. In retrospect, Malik knew the child had been in this chamber not even two months' time by the outside world's reckoning, yet had aged years by all appearances. By spring, the child would have reached age of maturity and would be ready to assume the mantle of his heritage.
Malik moved over to the chair by the desk and sat down, reaching his hand out invitingly. “Come here, please.”
The child eagerly responded, sliding easily onto the God's lap in a clearly familiar routine of devotion.
“You are coming along quite well, you know,” said the God. “You have made me very proud. You have read the Artices and now the Oraclice far sooner than I would have expected you to read either. And I can hear your prayers quite powerfully. In fact, I don't believe there is another mortal who prays for my love as devoutly as you do.”
The child grinned impishly. “I am yours. You know that! I am devoted. I am true to you and the faith.”
“Yes, I do,” agreed Malik. “You will truly be the truest ideal of devotion that will have lived within a thousand years. And when it comes time for you to return to the world of men, you will do so as my most revered and honored servant. You do want that, don't you?”
“Oh yes, Malik! I want to prove I am yours! True in all, I worship only you!”
The God of War and Peace looked upon the child with pride. “You are my greatest achievement. Your father may have stolen the mantle when he caused your mother's death, but you will rise to the challenge of reclaiming your birthright. You are the one true Avatar, and once the time is right, you will return to the world of men to make sure your father pays for his crimes.”
The boy buried his face into the God's chest. “I love you, Malik!”
The God returned the boy's embrace. “And I love you, too, my young Geoffrey.”
About the Author
Ron Glick (born January 20, 1969) is a community activist, and is presently active in several charitable enterprises. He was born in Plainville, KS. After living in various states, he currently lives in Kalispell, MT. He is unmarried, with ambitions to someday change that. He is the author of The Godslayer Cycle, Chaos Rising and the Oz-Wonderland series, as well as having compiled several volumes of Ron El's Comic Book Trivia. He is presently working on the second novel of the Oz-Wonderland series, Dorothy Through the Looking Glass. He loves contact and welcomes input on his work through his Facebook page at http://facebook.com/godslayercycle.