Ollor limped over to his body in the back of the stable and put his hand on his own shoulder. He closed his eyes and when they opened, he had returned to his own body. He crumpled to the ground in starvation, pain and exhaustion. He looked at his hands to see two bleeding stumps where his pinkies used to be. Strangely, his arms showed the cuts from the torture of Rozlo. He collapsed fully and slept for two straight days.
He awakened in a tiny hut with a slight fever. The friend stood over him, sporting an angry look.
“Wait, I have to save Rozlo’s family,” were Ollor’s first words.
“They are all dead. Painful deaths, in fact,” the friend sternly said. “All could have been avoided if some people would only listen to the rules of the game. You were told this is the most serious of games. The rules are simple but can be misused rather easily.”
The friend tended to Ollor’s wounds as he continued, “You show concern for the dead family now but you didn’t bother to find out about them beforehand. You didn’t even take the time to talk to the man to find out his name you now utter in vain. You thought because the eagle came easy, the next step would be a breeze. A little harder than you thought, no?”
“How did I get here?” Ollor avoided the question with a question. “How many times must I tell you? I have been selected as the friend. I am here to help but I cannot always help. Sacrifices and death will occur along your journey. You are still the preferred one; however, you need to stop being careless. You were chosen for a reason. Don’t give those above a reason to replace you,” the friend warned.
Ollor needed two more days of recovery to hobble down and find Captain Wallace. The captain’s ship came in around sundown. Ollor tried to figure out what to say when the Captain shouted, “I give you a job and you spit in my face.”
“Look, I was kidnapped and tortured by these men who thought I stole from them,” said Ollor, as he showed the injuries to Captain Wallace. “I can’t do it. Rules are rules,” his employer simply stated. “I wasn’t off getting drunk. They misidentified me and held me captive. I would have been here if I could,” Ollor pleaded. “I’ve already filled the job. No reason to beg now and piss away any pride you got left,” Captain Wallace said and walked away.
Ollor marched away in anger and saw the full moon. He headed for the School until better judgement prevailed and he went back to the friend’s hut. Ollor waited outside for the friend to arrive later that starry night. He invited Ollor inside and they sat at the uncomfortable, floor table. His body hadn’t fully healed and he shifted around to avoid pain.
“I am ready for the next step,” Ollor said. “There is no next step, only carefulness,” the friend replied. “I know there is a next step and I know you are the friend I should ask,” Ollor sternly said. “The next step is ultimate sacrifice. It will be the worst living you can imagine but it will benefit every person you have ever known. You must be stripped down to nothing. From nothing you will become an incredible something. You will never see your children again. Forget any family or friends. The man’s body must die. Ollor must die. Rollo Etburn must die. You are nothing more than a forgotten man on a trip, a long and terrible trip,” the friend told him.
Ollor thought about the children and wondered if he could simply forget about them to take this next step. He mulled it over for a few moments and answered, “I accept these challenges.” “You must embrace the next challenge; there is no liberty. Specific directions will need to be followed. Your track record worries me, but we need to act now if we are to stand a chance. From this moment on, you are truly a man whose soul has been stripped bare. Complete this mission and your lightened soul will surely float up into the heavens,” the friend promised.
I may never see the kids on earth again but with a pure soul, I will see them in the forever life in the heavens.
The friend began to meticulously lay out the plan sent from above. Ollor was shocked to learn the depth of his mission. He still had to recover physically before starting the challenge. He went back and begged Captain Wallace for his job back, but the man refused. A starving Ollor resorted to raiding the garbage buckets of fish guts for his meals. He threw them up at first, but eventually got used to the hideous taste and texture.
Ollor had hit rock bottom. He had once dined with kings and queens. He was raised in a castle. His father was the Duke of Waters Edge. Princess Ali-Gare changed the path of Ollor’s life when she had sent the assassins to kill Rollo Etburn. Now he rooted through fish guts to eat for survival. He took solace in the hope of proving himself with this new mission, but couldn’t forget about the kids and his brother Edburgh as the friend advised him to do. He needed to strip himself of all worldly possessions and former relationships to complete the next step.
The next fortnight consisted of Ollor stealing fish guts to survive and regularly seeing the friend to hammer out the details of his duty. Ollor tried to secure other jobs but word had spread around the small fishing community about his unreliability. He even debated going back to the School before remembering the beating and warning to stay away. He tried to convince himself he was nobody. He didn’t think about past or present, only looking into the future. Ollor focused on the challenge, but he still had to survive in the meantime.
After nightfall, he climbed into the ship and waited for dawn. He hid in a small cabin below and kicked back on the bed. He fell asleep and woke up later because the boat had started to move. Ollor assumed it must be dawn and carefully sneaked up to the hatch. He looked down the deck, but darkness prevailed. A few moments of investigation proved that only the captain was aboard on this night voyage. The man steered the wheel while Ollor maneuvered around on deck. They were far off shore and the wind started to pick up. The Captain moved over to the port side and Ollor followed behind him. The breeze increased and Ollor saw the moon become engulfed by a gigantic red wing. The scaly wing belonged to a matching, blood-colored dragon. The dragon appeared to be coming for the boat. Ollor noticed someone on the dragon’s back. A wild-looking demon rode the dragon. Ollor acted quickly and reached into his pocket while approaching Captain Wallace from behind. The dragon spit fire to brighten the dark sea night and just like that, Ollor was gone. The Captain looked overboard to see the sinking body of the man known as Ollor or Rollo Etburn.
RUSSELL
Everyone said the final farewells. Dalta couldn’t travel anymore and Remfield wanted to find a comfortable place for the impending birth. The remaining Pearl hunters didn’t have time to wait for the baby and Russell wondered why they had joined the group in the first place. They walked up a sandy trail and approached the first of many hills on the rocky Seventh Island. Dragon-Eyes looked around for spying eyes and carefully pulled the map. He looked at the hillside and map several times before declaring the route they would take.
The sunshine-filled day seemed even hotter on this island than on the main one. The soft dirt crumbled beneath every step on the terrain that was aptly named Mosquito Hill. Russell spent half his time swatting away insects and the other half trying to keep his footing. He felt the thick heat and they weren’t even near Fire Mountain. The Imp had said Fire Mountain housed liquid flames inside and heated the entire island. Sweat poured from the group as they hit the top of the hill. Russell looked into a green valley as the Imp pulled the map again and started to follow the red line. “This next part will take us to the town of Keystone. There will be no shortage of crooked swindlers there. Be careful with what you say in that town.” The Imp turned his attention to Russell, and said, “Have you heard of the School of the Learned Warrior?” “Yes, of course,” Russell answered. The Imp retorted, “Of course? I thought Ali-Pari didn’t teach you about anything outside the Kingdom of Donegal? Well, that will be your army. I am old friends with the man who runs the School and they are waiting for the Pearl of Wisdom to show up so they can follow the man who holds it. For now, perhaps, we should concentrate on this mission.”
The four adventurers came to a weather-beaten ro
pe-and-wood bridge. The white rope outlined the wooden steps along the rickety path. It led to Overbridge Hill and hung two hundred feet above the rocky terrain beneath. Russell didn’t like heights and his stomach started to churn. The old bridge had missing steps and most of the existing footholds were made of cracked, dilapidated wood. Dragon-Eyes said the map instructed them to cross the bridge to stay on the correct route.
Russell spotted several gaps which would cause difficulty for the dwarves and Lizeria. He led the way and the first ten feet made him very uneasy. The old ropes strained under the weight and the young knight jumped over two and a half broken steps. He waited and helped the shorter members of the group make it over safely. He took the lead again and a strong wind sprang up, making Russell hold his arms at his sides for balance on the next twenty steps. Another three-step gap appeared and Russell hopped over again, but his landing step cracked the wood in half and Russell fell.
He barely caught a right hand on the broken piece of wood. His three friends stood helpless as Russell Seabrook’s sweaty palm began to slip from the busted plank. He used all his strength to get his left hand up to the step, but slipped. Sir Russell tumbled toward the jagged rocks below. He didn’t know what or whom to think about before he died. He only stared at the harsh bottom that was rapidly approaching as he plummeted straight down. He heard Lizeria scream and Shireez chimed in as well.
Suddenly, Russell felt a tremendous pressure on his back and he stopped in mid-air. Suspended one hundred feet from his death, Russell didn’t understand what had just occurred. He saw a ghostly figure float under his body and push him back up to the bridge like he was a feather. Russell assumed Dragon-Eyes had summoned the spirit of Azamel to help him to temporary safety. The ghostly figure looked like he was bowing as he floated up into the light gray clouds.
The shaken Russell made it to the other side and even helped his friends over the gaps. Russell’s heart remained in his throat long after they made it to firm ground. He thanked the Imp who told him to thank Azamel. They set up camp for the night, and Dragon-Eyes started a fire.
The Imp scurried off with Shireez, and they returned after a while, holding hands. The wizard sported a grin he couldn’t shed until everyone went to sleep. Russell didn’t sleep. He had been having nightmares about the men he had killed. Russell saw the Imp rise with the sun and he quickly pretended to be asleep. He cracked an eye and the dwarf appeared to be dancing around. Russell got up, but the Imp continued.
“Has Ali-Dus Wamhoff risen from the dead to make you dance for him again?” Russell asked.
The wizard looked at him with a look of utter joy and kept moving around. “I should say, you seem quite happy,” Russell hinted. Dragon-Eyes looked at the sleeping females and spoke softly, “I know I said I would probably never make love to a woman, but…” Russell tapped him on the chest, “Feels good, doesn’t it?” The Imp looked over again and whispered, “It felt wonderful. Dare I say I may be in love with this angel? I cannot believe she accepts me for all my faults.” “Hey, hey, hey, don’t sell yourself short,” laughed Russell. “Your jokes seem a bit funnier today, for some reason,” the Imp giggled back.
“Have your fun while it lasts. I hate to sober the moment, but what are we going to do with them? They obviously can’t come into real battle with us,” Russell said. “I have a good idea where they can stay. They will stay at the School of the Learned Warrior. They will be well protected and remain close to us,” Dragon-Eyes replied.
Shireez woke up and gave her man a long kiss. The four enjoyed some salted beef and dried cherries before marching down the hill and into Keystone. The men and women there looked up to no good, and seemed hostile, staring down the four as they passed. Russell became nervous as young boys kept looking at him and immediately running off. He wondered if they were alerting someone of outsiders.
Keystone didn’t look big or impressive to Russell, and they made it through the small city and continued into the deep woods until nightfall threatened. They camped under the stars, and Dragon-Eyes snuck off with Shireez. The gushing couple returned later, and made Russell jealous. He wondered if Gamelda was safe in Morningdale from the usurper. He knew she was a strong woman, but still a woman. Ali-Pari had taught Russell that men were supposed to protect and take care of women.
After whispering in Shireez’s ear for a while, the Imp spoke to the whole group, “I don’t know. I suppose it has to mean within the Seventh Island.” Shireez responded, “It cannot be that simple.” Russell was surprised the kissy face lovers were including the rest of the group in the conversation. “I’m with Shireez, it can’t be that easy. Maybe it’s inside the Black Stone of Rockarius. How to break it open presents a whole new problem. What if it means within the Fire Mountain?” Russell asked.
“Let’s get to the spot and speculate. We can blindly guess about the matter all day and night but it won’t do any good. We may as well get some rest. We are falling slightly behind scheduled times on the map,” Dragon-Eyes told the group. The in-love couple sneaked off again and Russell actually slept through the night without any nightmares.
The next day, the group hiked up a slight hill through a horizontal drizzle. The soaked and miserable troupe pressed forward as Dragon-Eyes pestered them to increase the speed. Russell hadn’t seen another person in two days until a massive mountain of a man emerged from the woods and stood before them on the path.
The man had long black hair in braids and a wild-looking beard. “Oh shit,” said Dragon-Eyes. “There he is, my little friend. Did you really think you could come to Fire Island and not see Aldo?” the man asked. “How’d you know where to find me?” the Imp asked back. “Funny story behind that. It looks like you have time for a listen. You cut a man’s finger off and he keeps his mouth shut, not saying a single word. You go to cut another one off and his pregnant wife sings like a fat canary. In Remfield’s defense, he did tell the little pig to keep quiet. Not to worry, old lad, they can’t tell anyone else your whereabouts now,” Aldo smiled. “You didn’t have to kill them,” Dragon-Eyes argued.
“Well sure, now I realize they were telling the truth, but I never take anyone at their word. You shoulda warned your little friends not to get involved with you. How many innocent people have you gotten killed by now? Must be at least one hundred. And now three more are going to die if you don’t give me what I want. You truly thought I wouldn’t find you on the Seventh Island?” Aldo asked.
“Strangely enough, I hoped you were dead by now,” Dragon-Eyes replied. “No such luck for that. Now enough of the pleasantries. Dalta told me about the gold and the map so make with it before I cut you and your ragged crew to pieces,” Aldo threatened.
“We’ll see how you handle someone your own size,” said Russell as he drew his sword. The man promptly responded by grabbing his war axe and coming at Russell. “STOP,” screamed the Imp. “No Russell, this is not a fight I can idly watch. This man is too skilled with that damnable axe for me to let you get killed. I will give him the gold and the map,” he dejectedly stated. What gold?
Dragon-Eyes walked up to Aldo and opened the wooden man’s face from his necklace and poured the contents into his hand. “Here is our gold,” said the Imp. Aldo leaned in for a closer look, eyes wide. The wizard opened his hand and blew a cloud of Fuji Dust into Aldo’s face. The middle-aged man instantly turned into a pile of clothes. The clothes moved around and Russell saw an infant emerge from the pile. He had all the characteristics of Aldo.
“That is why I warned you never to get this stuff in your eyes. We will have to drop the baby off at the next town for someone to take care of this wicked man. You have your ways with the sword and I have mine with my brain. And it only took a little bit of the Fuji Dust,” said Dragon-Eyes as he looked down. Russell noticed the face of the wooden man never fully closed and a mound of white powder in the mud by the Imp’s feet quickly washed away in the rain. The Imp frantically fumbled with the carrier until he looked inside to see only residue on the
sides and bottom. His look of elation switched to horror as the wizard tried to get some Dust off his soaked pants to no avail. He licked his fingers trying to maximize the small amount of the youthful substance that remained.
The man who couldn’t get rid of a permanent smile for the past week, now marched in silence as the trek continued. Russell tried to joke around to make his friend feel better but he barely received a response from the Imp. The panic-stricken dwarf even became short with his lover for the rest of the day.
Later that night, Russell jumped at every sound he heard. The animals were extremely loud tonight as the blood moon hung low and the pumpkin colored nightlight looked to be almost within reach. The constant danger of the past few weeks had put Russell on edge, and he kept looking around for more attackers. As they sat around the fire, Russell asked, “So what does this mean for our mission?” “What does what mean?” asked the Imp. “You are almost out of Fuji Dust. What needs to happen when you run out?” Russell persisted. “When I run out in a few days, I will start to age rapidly,” Dragon-Eyes replied. “Should we head back to Morningdale?” Russell pressed. “No, no, I didn’t want to make you worry, but Gamelda has probably fled Morningdale by now. There is no going back to Donegal now. There is Fuji Dust at the School of the Learned Warrior in Gama Traka. We cannot abandon this journey when we are getting close to completion. I will hopefully be fine until we reach Gama Traka,” Dragon-Eyes said.
“Do we have time to complete the map and get you to the Dust? Can we finish the map and whether the Pearl is on the Stone or not, we immediately leave for Gama Traka?” Russell wanted to know.
“That is the best plan. Get to the Stone and hope for the Pearl,” he said, and turned to Shireez. “I am bound to turn into a hideous old beast soon and I would understand if you wish to return to the Main Island.”
“You’re as silly as a little boy. My heart loves you. We will take care of you. I will take care of you, no matter the circumstance. Don’t deny my love,” Shireez said and kissed Dragon-Eyes on the cheek.
Fractured Families (The Pearl of Wisdom Saga Book 2) Page 31