A New Path

by Xander Jade

  "Milord, that is disturbing news, and I am upset at those attacks. I am confused though, what does this have to do with the young lad Max?"

  He exhaled noisily and continued, "Evidently there is a prophecy that has been passed down from kings to their heirs, the high mages know as well. It is stated that a being will be known to the world when darkness comes to the horizon. They will have power that hasn’t been seen in many millennia. Creatures will come out of hiding that have been in self-imposed seclusion and link themselves with this powerful being. Races will pick sides in the upcoming wars, and kingdoms will fall. The darkness will bring death and slavery to our world and only this mage can unite the kingdoms to defeat this darkness. High Mage Edward states the darkness will be ten times worse than when Battle Mage Stewart Ackley defeated the Dark Warlock," he stopped gathering his next words carefully; observing the pale faces of the Whitehurst group, and noticing the traumatized looks of his family. He stood nervously pacing for a few minutes, then stated as confidently as he could, "The high mage seems to think that this being is walking among us now." He sat back down at the table waiting for the onslaught of comments after this revelation. The table was silent, not a single movement, only breathing could be heard for a few moments.

  "Father, are you saying that Max is this being; that he will be the one to face this darkness?" Gordon hesitantly asked while looking around the table hoping to find some agreement.

  He blinked and nodded, "Yes, son, that is their belief. Since Max has a siba, and now a kodiak with him, they seem to think this is just the beginning. That it suggests he will end up with a gathering of creatures and people linked to him. They don’t know the ramifications that will come, if it is him. At this point though, I don’t know what to believe."

  Gordon spoke up, "What are we to do to prepare for this? It says death and slavery is coming. From what the Whitehurst group says, they have run into this." He looked at the gathered group from Whitehurst and they nodded.

  "That is correct, or at least Max has dealt with this. Lady Cassie was captured and escaped. Cassie advised there was other prisoners where she escaped from," Cori responded.

  Duke Ackley emphasized, "Is there anything that hasn’t been discussed? Any information that is related that I conferred would be invaluable."

  Shea and the others looked hesitant, but she decided the info they had needed to be said, "Your Grace, we learned a bit of information when Cassie was traveling with us. The last night Max was with us, he went to bed early after some discussion. We asked Lady Cassie to stay with us to talk, she indicated that she was protecting Max, so we asked if Max was in any danger. We kept this part from being known until we could talk to the high mage and didn’t want to instill panic when it didn’t need to be. ... Lady Cassie expressed to us that she sometimes has visions, one of her visions were to set out to find the one with a siba, and that she has been looking for them for quite some time. She articulated to us that her vision was that darkness was coming, when Max saved her and she saw Reaper, she knew he was the one in her visions. The mage indicated that Max was the key to uniting the kingdoms together to combat the evil."

  Duke Ackley stared and nodded, "Lady Shea, how am I to use this information? Do I tell His Majesty or wait? I will ask your counsel on this, please."

  Shea looked at her group for support and they nodded. She stated cautiously, "Your Grace, I’m not sure the validity of Lady Cassie’s statements. I can attest to the veracity of the events that we were involved directly and can strongly recommend that Max is definitely one of the most intelligent and fierce fighters I have ever seen. At this point, I will lean on the judgment of the king and high mage. I would let them know of the events that led Lady Cassie to find Max."

  The Duke nodded, "Okay, I will let them know. King William will undoubtedly want to meet Max. Gordon, where is Max living?" Gordon looked hesitant to answer.

  "His parents are located in BlackCrest, father. It is due south from here," Gordon answered.

  "I will inform His Majesty of this new information. Does anyone else have any input or questions?" Duke Ackley asked, but no one said anything. He drank the rest of his ale and stated, "Well, this situation is certainly different. I would like everyone to rest and think on what was discussed today."

  "Your Grace, what do you think will happen to Max, if he is the one that is prophesized?" Cori asked.

  He shook his head and said, "I’m not sure Your Highness. I can only hope that someday I will meet this extraordinary young man. Even if he isn’t the one, the king will want him to go to the palace for saving you ladies. I will leave you on those thoughts and go notify him of these events." The duke left the group alone in their thoughts.

  "I'm going to go check to see if Max has been seen and if not I'm going to go find him," Gordon said as he got up to leave.

  Lady Ackley bellowed, "No you are not, young man," but then she calmly stated, "I know you are concerned about your friend Gordon, but I'm not so sure that is the right move. Not to mention, we need you here for the official announcement of our heir apparent, your brother."

  "Mother, at the moment I am not in the mood for any celebration. No offense brother. I need to make sure he's alright," Gordon calmly answered.

  "Milord, your mother is right," Lady Shea stated. "We can't do anything about him at the moment. We have to wait until your father comes back with word from the king."

  Gordon glanced around the table and grumbled. "Fine, I will not do anything rash for the moment. I will wait for a few days."

  Lady Ackley sighed heavily, "Gordon, if what your father says is true, then he will undoubtedly be sought after by the king. He will have to answer a summons."

  He laughed and boldly told his mother, "Mother, you don't know Max, he likes his freedom. He will do what he wants and only if it doesn't put his family in any danger. I wouldn't want to be the one who tries to bring him in."

  "Are you saying he may not come if asked?" Gordon nodded and she continued, "The king will send knights to get him then."

  "Yes, but who is man enough to take him on with the backup he has," he chuckled.

  Nobody responded to his question. They already know the answer and it wouldn't be a pretty site. Everyone said goodnight and went back to their rooms for rest.

  ***

  Duke Ackley was disturbed about the information he obtained from the Whitehurst group. If he didn’t want to believe that some kind of evil was threatening the kingdom after the conversations before, then he is having a hard time disproving the facts now. He arrived at the Mage Guild and was let in to the room where a relay is setup for connecting other locations around the kingdom for real time data and information. He input his code and the instruments came alive then waited for an acceptance to allow communication. He heard the tone for the hologram conference, and saw a female mage on the other end.

  "Lord Ackley, how may I be of service?" The female mage asked.

  "I need to talk to His Majesty or High Mage Edward, promptly."

  "Yes, milord, I will try to contact them and see where they are, hold please."

  "Thank you," Duke Ackley said as he waited for some reply to his summons. It was a few minutes before she came back to let him know that the king will be there soon. Ten minutes went by, then he heard a deep baritone voice come across.

  King William inquired, "Jerald, what can I do for you? I was about to have a meeting with my commander."

  "Your Majesty, I have some new information brought to me from your caravan that wasn’t communicated until now. Lady Shea wanted to discuss this with you and Lord Edward first, but under the circumstances, she chose to release the information. We discussed before about a mage that showed up at their camp with Max. Lady Cassie answered some questions the group asked. It was discovered Lady Cassie sometimes has visions, she had one about a being with a siba that was the key to uniting the kingdoms to combat the coming darkness. Lady Cassie went to look for them, and of course you know the res
t.

  King William just stared and said told him to wait for a few minutes. Duke Ackley waited as the king left, he kept thinking about this young man. How would he cope with the strain of the whole world on his shoulders? It would be a massive shock to his life and family. It was at that point the king came back with the high mage in tow.

  "Jerald, I have told Edward of your findings. Edward, tell him what we’ve discussed."

  High Mage Edward calmly smiled and said, "Lord Ackley, what you have found is encouraging, but at the same time disturbing. If Lady Cassie's visions are about young Max, then we need to get him here swiftly. It not only tells me that we were right in our assumption, but it also tells us others will begin to notice him. Do you happen to know his location?"

  Duke Ackley nodded, "Yes, Lord Edward, Gordon knows where he is headed. Max is going back home to BlackCrest. It's about 25 miles due south."

  The king and high mage gave curious looks back at him. King William asked, "Jerald, how would Gordon know where he is? Has he met him?"

  "Your Majesty, I didn't know, but when Gordon and Blake were making their rounds to the outlying towns they ended up in BlackCrest. While he was there, Blake was sparring with some men in the town. Somehow Max ended up in the barracks and heard Blake make some remarks he shouldn't have. Max took it upon himself to call him out, saying he needs a lesson in humility." The king and high mage were intrigued by this, knowing that Blake is the five time reigning champion. The Duke continued, "Blake didn't like that comment and told him to come teach him the lesson then. So, Max took it upon himself to do just that. From Gordon's recollection of the duel, Max showed no fear even though Blake is a few years older than him. Gordon advised that it only took a few minutes and Max had Blake on the ground telling him to submit," the Duke stopped to let the moment sink in, noticing the shocked faces on the other two men. He waited a few moments and then resumed, "At that moment, Gordon jumped in to stop anything getting out of hand and advised they needed to keep their heads cool. Blake was outraged and wanted to continue, but Gordon suggested another solution for Blake to save face, so they ended up in archery. Now, everyone knows how well Blake can shoot. He thought the boy didn't have a chance, but neither did Gordon. After three shots, Blake had 2 bullseyes and 1 right outside the inner ring. Max then took his three shots. Two hit dead center, and then he shot his third. It split one of the other arrows right down the middle. The whole arena was stunned, and Gordon decided to find out who this amazing individual was and asked to join him to if he could. He ended up staying with Max and his family for a few weeks. Evidently, Gordon befriended Max and his family." After that monologue, the king and high mage were deep in thought before they responded.

  The king cleared his throat, "Sorry Jerald, I'm still trying to wrap my head around your discovery. At this moment he is our top priority. I want that young man brought here immediately. I want to meet him. Edward do you have anything to add?"

  "Your Majesty, I am very interested in meeting him as well and have numerous questions for him. My colleagues and I want to spend some time with him if that's okay."

  "Hmmm...I will think on it. In the meantime, I'll send a score of knights to get him. I don't want any distractions or incidents," the king announced.

  "Your Majesty, I'm hesitant to send a score of knights to summon him. From what I gather, he will see that as some kind of power play and won't come. Not to mention, his siba and kodiak won't let you get near him," Duke Ackley advised.

  The king pondered on that thought and calmly asked, "What would you suggest then, Jerald?"

  The Duke requested, "I will send someone he knows to bring him, Your Majesty."

  The king and high mage looked at each other and both nodded. "As you wish Jerald, but let me make this clear. If they are unable to bring him, then I will send my men to get him. It is the utmost importance we get him here. If he is who we think, then we have to start preparing him for the difficult trials ahead. After your ceremony, I would like you to start trying to locate him. Thank you for your diligence Lord Ackley." He nodded and the conference closed. Duke Ackley was stressed even before this command and pondered what he was going to tell his family and the Whitehurst group. He sighed loudly, and left the Mage Guild heading back to the castle. It will wait until after the ceremony, he decided.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The next day Cori, Shea, and Estelle went to breakfast, noticing all the decor for the upcoming celebration. The ball was that night, so the castle staff was all in a frenzy making sure nothing was out of place. Everyone was smiling, laughing, and enjoying the day; except the ladies from Whitehurst. They weren’t in a joyful mood after the conversations they had with the Ackley family. Learning that some kind of evil is coming; they can't help to think this will be a waste of time. They needed to get back home to find out what's going on.

  Shea broke the silence between them. "Okay, I know we are all in shock to hear what's going on around us, but we need to get through this day and find out what the king commands of us."

  Cori grunted and said, "I know but I can't help worrying about this. I want to check on Max and see if he’s okay. Is that too much to ask?" Shea and Estelle glanced at each other for a moment before Estelle spoke out.

  "Cori, I’ve never seen you act this way. Is there something you need to tell us?" Estelle smirked while Shea was laughing softly.

  Cori blushed a deep crimson and stammered out. "I-It's not what you think."

  "Really? It sounds like you have a serious crush on our friend Max," Shea confidently stated. Cori didn't know how to answer, so she just shook her head. The others laughed at her predicament.

  Estelle kept on, "What will you tell the peacocks as you call them, tonight? They will be heartbroken, they might even try to woo you away from him."

  Shea chuckled and added her assumption, "Yep, I feel sorry for them. Poor boys won't know how to deal with the rejection."

  "I don't care what those obnoxious twerps think! They aren't even in the same league as Max. He is ten times the man they are!" Cori yelled at them. They cackled at her response. Cori was embarrassed to let them know she had feelings for Max.

  "Cori, Max is great, but I have to remind you about his situation. If he is the one to unite the kingdoms, then he will be surrounded my men and women that are somehow linked to him. He will be encircled by strong and fierce women that will compete for his attention," Shea advised hesitantly.

  Cori slumped down in the chair, "I know, but I can't help what my heart feels. I don't know how to react to this revelation, but as of right now I want to be by his side. He makes me want to better myself," she took a deep breath and softly added, "I want to train to be a better mage too. I know what daddy will say, but I'm not taking no for an answer." Shea and Estelle didn't answer right away and finally nodded.

  "Okay, we'll talk about this later, but you will have to put on your best smile for tonight then. You'll have to keep up appearances until we get back to Whitehurst. At that point, the king will need to be aware of your decisions. He won't like either of them, I'm sure; but since you aren't exactly a normal acting princess, he will probably understand," Shea requested and the princesses agreed.

  The day flew by as light turned to the lovely orange-red from a sunset. The courtyard was fully decorated with floral and plant arrangements. The lighting was just right, and the fountain flowing like a beautiful waterfall. The guests were being seated as the musicians were playing harmonious tunes. The nobles were dressed to impress in their fancy clothing. When it was time for the festivities to start, the princesses with Lady Shea were escorted to their seats. Every noblemen had their eyes on them, waiting for their chance to woo them. The last to come in were the Ackley’s; the Duke and Lady in front, followed by the heir apparent Blake, then ending with Gordon. They were escorted to the dais, awaiting the chamberlain to officially start the ceremony. The ceremony lasted about thirty minutes, and everyone was invited to enjoy some refreshments. Afterwards, the
nobility was summoned to the great hall for entertainment. The Whitehurst group and the Ackley’s went around greeting everyone. The Whitehurst ladies were off to the side watching the gathering of nobles. Blake was as arrogant as ever, and the ladies swooned at his new status.

  "Does Blake think he’s the king now?" Estelle huffed.

  Cori snickered, "What’s the matter Estelle? I would think you would be over in that group."

  Shea laughed out, "You would need some thick waterproof boots though; the B.S. is getting thick."

  Estelle looked at the group surrounding the heir apparent, she was appalled at the behavior of those ladies. She made her mind up to not talk with him at all. At that moment, Gordon came to join them.

  "How’s it going ladies? I hope you’re having a wonderful time," he said sipping his wine.

  "Yes, milord, we are enjoying ourselves," Shea responded and Cori grunted.

  While they were talking, noblemen came over to ask the ladies to dance, but they politely declined. Cori was especially annoyed, and Gordon couldn’t help but smile.

  "Princess Cori, do I detect a hint of irritation in your stature? You look a little annoyed," he asked.

  Cori grumbled, "These twerps are getting on my nerves. I can’t wait till this is over with."

  Gordon laughed, "I thought this would be something to look forward to. Maybe get to know someone that may be able to court you?" If looks could kill, then Gordon would be lifeless on the floor.

  "Lord Gordon, she has her mind on someone else. He isn’t here, so she isn’t interested either. When Cori makes up her mind on something, she won’t be swayed," Shea stated while nodding to people passing by.

  Gordon thought about her answer, "And who might this gentleman be? Do I know him?"