by Rick Brown
“The Council acknowledges nine votes in favor of the motion. For those against?”
There was a rumble from the audience, angry with those voting no. “The Council acknowledges three votes against. Let it be shown that the Council has voted in favor or returning Alynon’s Tear to the King!”
A cheer went up through the audience in celebration as the elves rushed forward to congratulate us as the Councilors filed out of the chamber. I shook hand after hand and hugged many a stranger as the excited crowd gathered around us. As I pulled away from one over exuberant lady that tried to give me a big kiss, I turned to find myself face to face with Councilor Belkor. As I reached out to shake the Councilor’s hand, he shoved a dagger deep into my chest.
I tried to pull back as the press of the crowd kept me from escaping. “You shall not be a god, human,” he said as he pulled it back, and stabbed it into me again.
The room started to spin as I heard screaming voices within the room. As the crowd moved away from the violence, I felt myself crash to the floor. Everyone sounded so far away as I saw Ryan’s concerned face appear over me. He was trying to speak, but I no longer able to make out his words. A good friend, Ryan, I thought as my vision turned to darkness.
Chapter 34
(Abigail)
I woke to an ominous premonition, something was wrong. Glancing around my room, everything seemed normal. It must be a dream, I thought as I tried to wave away the dread. Still, it lingered. I lay back down to sleep, but the feeling became overwhelming.
Getting out of my bed, I started looking around my room, searching for anything that could be causing this sensation. Finally, I gave up and dressed for the day. I couldn’t help myself, but rushed due to the tension I felt. Maybe it’s concern over this morning vote, I considered.
Stepping out into the hallway, I almost walked into Barad. “Well, good morning, Miss Magician. How are you today?”
“I don’t know. I woke up this morning feeling like something bad has happened.” Barad paused and looked at me for a moment.
“Can you explain the feeling?” he asked, looking concerned.
“It’s just so strange. I woke to a jolt, like something was happening. I checked my room, but of course everything is fine, but the feeling is so strong, and it won’t go away.”
Barad turned pale as I described what I felt, then darted back into the room he and Brianna shared. I looked inside as he was grabbing his sword.
“What’s wrong? What is it?” I asked, my voice rising in concern.
“That is exactly how Lee used to describe his intuition. It was actually Alynon communicating with him. Something bad has happened, and Lee’s at that council meeting.”
Brianna, who was listening to us, grabbed the belt with her knives. “Let’s go,” she ordered as we rushed from the room.
We raced down the stairs to see everyone eating breakfast as normal. “What’s wrong?” Whilhoit asked as we came crashing down the stairs.
“I think Lee’s in trouble!” Barad yelled as he stormed toward the door, Brianna and myself right behind him. We rushed through the silent streets of the city, following Barad as he sprinted his way towards the center of Illiner. I glanced behind me to see our friends were chasing after us. As we raced towards the Council tower, there were elves screaming, running from the scene.
Barad pushed his way through, shoving those that resisted out of his way. As we cleared the elves, we found Ryan, tears streaming down his face as he held Lee’s head in his lap. The blood was still pumping from the wounds in his chest.
We slid to a stop, Barad dropping to his knees before Lee, placing his hand on his chest as he desperately tried to stanch the blood flow.
“Someone get Yorlin!” He screamed to anyone that would listen.
I stood horrified as I watched Lee dying, the calling of the intuition still pounding inside my head. I dropped to my knees as my tears flowed, covering my ears as I tried to stop the pain of the sound.
Brianna was pushing away anyone who was standing too close to Lee. Barad had torn away his shirt, using it to put pressure on the wounds. The others had stopped at the back of the room as they took in the scene.
I tried to wipe away my tears as they flowed. Why was this happening! I crawled forward, through the blood pooling around Lee’s body and grasped his hand. I cried harder at the coolness of his flesh.
The incessant pounding in my head was overwhelming. Once again, I tried to cover my ears from the deafening sound. Everything was so chaotic in the room. People were still running around screaming as Barad was calling for help.
Suddenly, all became quiet. It was as if the world had stopped. The people around me all started moving very slowly. The pounding in my head suddenly made sense, I knew what needed to be done.
Standing, I walked over to a door at the side of the room. As I entered, I found I was alone in a hall. Looking around, I saw the stairs I had to take. The stairs I knew would be there. They wove all the way to the top of the tower. Time still seemed to move slowly as made my way to the top floor.
At the end of the hall, I entered a room the gods were guiding me to. The room was obviously used for storage. There were boxes and chests everywhere. As I opened the door, Councilor Belkor stood with a box in his hands.
“Noo!” He yelled as he noticed me. “He cannot have it!” He tucked the box under his arm, running into another room. As I approached, I heard the bar fall into place as he locked the door. Without breaking my stride, I waved my hand at the door, blasting it inward.
I could hear the sizzle of energy around me as I followed the elf that had stabbed Lee. The walls and boxes started to burn as my lightning whipped at them. I looked at my arm as blue bolts of energy crackled around my body, snapping at everything I walked passed. My magic was wild and free, and that was how I like it.
The Councilor was trapped in the room with nowhere to escape. He waved that dagger before me as he grasped the box. “He cannot have it! He will not be a god!” He screamed.
I raised my hand, the energy dancing along my fingers. “You will not stop me,” I said as I released my magic. A blue bolt of pure energy shot into the Councilmen’s chest, ripping through his flesh and slamming him into the wall, sending the box crashing on the floor. Belkor fell to the floor, dead.
Releasing the energy, I bent down next to the box. Lying on the floor was a beautiful diamond, maybe the size of a large nut. I picked it up and grasped it in my hand. I had no more time to waste. Racing down the stairs, I slammed the door of the Council room out of the way.
The room looked as I had just left it. Barad was hunched over Lee, still vainly trying to save his life, Brianna was threatening anyone who even looked at them, and Ryan leaned against the wall, covered in Lee’s blood. The others were still approaching from the doorway. Everything seemed to return to normal speed as I slid across the floor next to Lee. Taking the gem, I placed it in his palm, covering his fingers over it.
“What is that?” Barad asked.
“It’s the answer to the message. It’s what the god’s wanted me to do,” I said.
At first nothing happened, and I started to fear I had failed. Then, as we watched, a white glow started emanating from Lee’s fist. Even through his clenched fingers, it became too bright to look at. Then, just as quickly, the glow softened. Slowly, the light started climbing up his arm, like a gentle caress, it rolled across his body.
As we watched, his chest started to rise again as he drew a breath. His fingers twitched, grasping the stone tighter. As the light pooled at his injuries, the gaping wounds in his chest filled with the liquid light. As the glow faded, the wounds were gone. The glow slowly faded until it was no longer visible.
Reaching over, I gently I brushed Lee’s hair from his face. He didn’t wake, but his breathing became regular. Bending down, I kissed his lips, whispering to him, “I swear, I will always protect you.”
Here ends book two of ‘The Lost Kingdom of Alsselya’
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