Furion's Trials (Book Two of the Items Trilogy)

by H. Lee Morgan, Jr

  The first to break the silence was Ava as she commented that this place reminded her of a location she once visited back in the protection of the mountains. Alex could hear the peaceful nostalgia within his sister’s tone as she spoke kindly of this place. Shade moved closer to stand directly next to Crest and together they watched as the fish swam beneath the still waters.

  Before long Lily said to her husband “I never imagined such a place existed, that very few knew about. I mean, with so many people in and near the city this place should be common knowledge.”

  “If everyone knew, this place would be no more. Many would flock here, destroying the flowers and ruining the experience for others.”

  She tucked a loose strand of moonlight hair behind an ear and turned to him. “Very true. Since we have time to spare, will you go out and collect some firewood?”

  “Certainly,” With that he dropped to the ground without creating barely a sound. If it weren’t for the crisp sound of grass crunching she wouldn’t have known he landed in the first place. Without another word he walked into the thicket and thickly grown oaks that surrounded this place from curious eyes.

  While he went off to collect dry wood, which was easy enough to find and accumulate, she landed and began taking out all the supplies from the bulging pack. By the time he returned with two large armfuls of sticks and branches Lily had laid out a large bedroll and sat out five large packages of wrapped beef and an assortment of berries, fruits, nuts and cheese that had been sealed in beeswax. Lastly she withdrew a bottle of fine wine Allahandra offered from her personal selection.

  As he laid the fire materials Lily cursed and began rummaging in her pack for what she mistakenly left behind. He asked what the problem was and she answered “I have forgotten the flint. It will take forever to create an ember with rubbing sticks.” Then she began scanning the area. “Maybe we might get lucky and find flint…”

  “Do not fret.” She looked to him curiously for he spoke with ease.

  “How will we have a nice fire to sleep by if we can’t start one? It will take too long to find someone, ask to borrow a flame or flint and return here. I don’t want to ruin our night, but without fire it won’t feel right. I’m not like Shade or the rest of you. I cannot see in the dark half as clearly and…”

  “I have the solution.” As soon as he said that Lily noticed he gripped a stick as thick as his thumb and held it out to show her.

  She watched closely as he focused an excessive amount of heat to the palm of his hand and she was kneeling close enough to feel the stinging warmth on her eyes and cheeks. Around his enclosed fist he watched as her eyes widened as the wood began smoking. Within a few seconds his ability to focus heat on a certain part of his body created a flickering red ember on the flesh of the stick. Once it fed on the air the embers around where his grip once was sparked into a strong flame. He then laid the stick into the built woodpile by the bedroll.

  “That was amazing.” She admitted while watching the fire come alive.

  “You wouldn’t believe how many sets of clothes I ignited just to gain that kind of control.” He joked, but she couldn’t stop herself from imagining him having set his own clothes aflame and watching them burn off. He then looked at Shade and Crest over by the water’s edge. His voice tickled as he said “Why don’t the two of you go play in the water for awhile. We will be right here.” He looked up to see Ava perched in a tree, relaxing and enjoying the area with a peaceful outlook on this place.

  Grinning, the two of them dove headfirst into the water, disturbing the tranquil scene in their frolicking. Before long they played on the opposite side of the large pond, splashing and playing like pups without care or concern.

  When Alex eventually turned around he saw Lily staring at her hands while blushing. He moved closer and took off his sword belt before sitting beside her on the large bedroll made for two. As he sat thigh to thigh with her, she didn’t acknowledge him as she was lost in thought. “What is the matter?”

  His voice broke her internal debate. He asked again and she couldn’t ask him such a question directly. She decided to watch the two Shadow Fangs playing in the water to ask “You said you burned your clothes off, and I have already witnessed you making a fire with your bare hand, my question is; am I in any danger when we… you know?”

  Alex rubbed her back gently and it helped to calm her. This was a conversation he too found hard to speak upon for it was a bit embarrassing. “Aye, there is always the possibility for being hurt by a Furion, for that I will not lie to you. In the many stories Gerieg instilled within me there are some telling how the spouse of a Furion was unintentionally harmed in the bedchambers. It is easy to forget what separates us from the average person. Our abilities are all about control and sometimes we lose that control and end up harming those we hold dear. Before Gerieg came you saw the tremors my body undertook and surely would have killed me, but now that I am a master I’m even more dangerous. I must always be on guard against myself, for now that I’m accustomed to how easy it is to harness my abilities it would be hazardous to be around me should I just let myself go free. I still have the trigger for protecting and will always have it, but to keep from unintentionally being activated by outside factors I must suppress my anger or else it would be too easy to harm others.” When she finally looked at him he could not return the gaze just yet.

  “As for being intimate and my wife, I must be extra careful and redouble my efforts to keep from harming you when I could so easily split you in half or break your hips. Last night I had to keep reminding myself just how important you are to me and that I could not lose control. So to make it easier for you to comprehend, Aye, you can be harmed by me. For this reason wives and husbands of Furions must be physically strong to resist even lovemaking… If I ever slipped I could easily shatter every bone in your body just as easily as sear your very flesh…”

  “Shh, that’s enough.” Lily said delicately. Still he could not meet her gaze, but her soft tone calmed him. “Listen, I saw just a fraction of your strength in the arena today, and at other times, but I never knew just how difficult you have it. I wondered why you felt so different when you came back to me yesterday. It went beyond your new appearance or how you carried yourself. You enveloped yourself with chains of your own making at just about all times, but move the chain when you need to exert yourself. If there is any way I can lighten such a burden just let me know.”

  He smiled and sighed through his nose before finally turning his relieved grey eyes upon hers. She smiled back and gave him a quick kiss. Then she had another question. “With your abilities, are there any limitations like certain powerful items have?”

  “Aye and nay.” He replied with an ease in his tone since he got the worry off his chest. “Like how your crescent blade can only become as long as you are tall or your petal sword’s range is around a hundred paces, my abilities have subtle limitations. Firstly my abilities are proportional to the natural strength of my muscles. Remember how I killed Shade’s uncle with a sharp stick,” She nodded. “My natural muscle structure wasn’t impressive and so my Furion strength was just as weak. Now with my new physique I could effortlessly rip their head from their body with my bare hands. Also my abilities can only get as strong as my muscles will allow. For some reason it will not allow me to go beyond my limits for it would be easy to rip my muscles from my bones.

  “My natural endurance also gets affected when I’m using my strength. At my peak speed I can run slightly faster than Shade, but for no more than a quarter of a full day. In those terms Shade is my superior in long distance runs.

  “The ability to heal is about the same with my grandfather and it helped get me return to my training much more quickly. But healing rapidly also has a price. Not only must I consume more food, but if a wound is life threatening it won’t do any good to try and heal it because it will make matters worse. Using my abilities makes my heart race, which will only make a serious wound bleed out that much more qu
ickly.

  “Focusing my heat continually to certain points over a long period of time is beyond tiring and gets exponentially more exhausting. There was a stream inside the original home of the Furions I told you about. Remember how I needed to keep warm for a full day?”

  “I remember.” She said quickly.

  “Inside that place was a frigid stream I had to submerge myself in up to my neck and focus my heat without freezing to death. When I cleared that trial I slept for nearly two days after and only then to eat and use the privy. Creating our little fire was simple enough, but” He couldn’t finish as his jaws opened in a large yawn.

  Lily couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “You’ve only had a morning meal, fought over a thousand warriors and done whatever else today. I can see just how worn out you are, but I have a remedy for that.” She reached forward and grabbed a pear. “Eat on this while I make us all supper.”

  He gladly took the fruit and began slowly eating to taste its sweetness and the restorative effects it granted. While he munched his attention divided between Lily and how skilled she had become after working in the kitchen and watching and listening to the playful antics and banter of Crest and Shade.

  Once the seasoned meat in the sizzling skillet began cooking over the ashy campfire, the noise and scent halted Shade and Crest’s playtime and lured them out from the water. They were kind enough to water the grass and flowers with their fur far away from the campfire and the humans that simply enjoyed relaxing under the fading light. Still wet from snout to tail they came closer and rested in the soft grass, being careful to not disturb the beautiful flowers. Alex joked that neither needed a bath anymore and Crest winked like that was the whole idea.

  Lily didn’t allow Alex to help her cook saying “It’s my duty to cook and I’ve wanted to show you for so long just what I’ve been learning.” He conceded for he wanted to taste the results of her hard work.

  The aroma of the campfire and sizzling food was so appetizing they laughed when they saw saliva dripping from the very tips of Shade’s sabers. By the time all the food cooked Shade and Crest’s bodies were relatively dry.

  The first to be served was Alex and the explosions of flavors of fat, salt, spices and shaved fruit peelings made the meat a delectable treat and his astonishment didn’t get past Lily. She could see he loved it just by his expression and the rumblings he made in his chest. That was all she needed to feel proud of all the work she learned in making such a meal. When Ava swooped down to join them in the evening meal she and the others were just as surprised. Before any of them knew it the food was gone. They mumbled and griped that they wanted more, but the pack that had been brought could only contain so much. At the least they were all sated and were content to enjoy the aftertaste of the terrific meal that had been carefully prepared and delivered.

  Once the fire had been built back up to keep the darkness at bay Crest stood and said “Alright you two, let’s go exploring for a few hours and give Alex and Lily some time alone.”

  “Fine by me. Maybe we might find some game and play with them for awhile.” Shade said lightheartedly and Crest couldn’t agree more.

  Ava gave her goodbyes and flew off to see what else the land had to offer beneath her wings.

  Their departure wasn’t lost on Lily. Once they were gone and the only sounds came from frogs and crickets she stood. “Care to join me for a nightly swim?”

  The twinkle in her eyes gave him all the incentive needed. As he stood she began removing her sleeveless tunic and pants. Before long she began making her way down to the water and felt that it was cool, but not freezing. Alex stood transfixed and watched as she entered the water with such beauty that he could no longer decide if she was a moon goddess or a water spirit. She submerged and came up to show how her long saturated hair swam behind her and above the water the moonlight made the water droplets look like twinkling diamonds. Her amethyst irises turned as seductive as her voice. “It isn’t nearly as much fun doing this all alone.” She commented as she noticed he stood transfixed in her beauty. She liked having such an effect on him.

  When he realized what she said and meant he stripped as well and walked in the water, not wanting to ruin the calm and peaceful atmosphere. Soon he swam over to her and together they swam in a dance of their own making.

  Together they combined in the rapture and ecstasy that they had for only each other and Lily knew that no matter how dangerous he was she would never shy away for he meant more than every fear she ever had in her life and would do whatever it took to be with him forever. Alex felt the same though they never spoke of it for it was beyond words for how they felt for each other.

  They spent hours in the water and only came back to shore when the others returned. Fiends didn’t care for modesty and neither did their humans as they came back and dressed in a change of clothes that Lily thought ahead enough to bring another set of.

  After the swim and the return of the three, they all found themselves asleep together. Ava slept between Alex and Lily while Crest and Shade slept like two large, protective barriers and only allowed in a crack of light from the fire that flickered throughout the night. They slept peacefully and like a large family, but three others were missing. Marlin and Clift were a given, but somehow Niranene became part of their pack. One day soon they would all be together and finally feel like a whole unit. It was a cool and peaceful night and all slept content.

  An unexpected sight awaited outside the western side of the city. As Alex and his family approached the city the strange view became even more difficult to understand. It looked similar to a transparent dome only it stretched for a league in every given direction. Unlike a grassy hill, this dome distorted any logical view inside it, making it impossible to understand what you were actually looking at. Some forms filled an entire section of the mirror-like quality one moment, but then a second later the image became smaller than that of an ant. It became disorienting to look at and gave any who stared at it for too long a headache.

  In a reprieve Beta, Clift and Marlin trotted up to Alex and the rest of the family. Marlin turned in his saddle to say in the direction of the dome “Kind of strange to look at.”

  “You can say that again.” Lily said with a shake of the head.

  “What is it?” Alex asked.

  “It’s a specialist’s item, definitely a level five. Allahandra asked us to bring you when you came back. She has something to tell you.”

  Marlin’s tone was serious and peculiar and it piqued Alex’s worry. “What is happening? She wanted to get started at noon, yet it is not midmorning.”

  Marlin sighed and sat his unwavering blue eyes onto his best friend’s. “There has been a sudden development, but I believe you should hear it from Allahandra first. She had this specialist create this dome for a purpose. You’ll understand soon enough.”

  “Alright, lead the way.”

  As Marlin gently kicked Clift’s sides, he turned and cantered towards the strange dome. Alex informed Shade, Ava and Crest on what was said and they understood that something had happened if such odd measures had been taken. Not even Beta knew what was happening, but he greeted his Alpha and female with a warm welcome.

  With Clift and Marlin leading as escorts they approached the giant dome and the others watched in fascination as they passed the barrier without fear. Shade saw this and also walked through. It was as if the barrier was not even there for there wasn’t any physical sensation as they passed through. Looking out from the inside, the terrain and other objects were only slightly distorted, but not enough to give a migraine like it was doing from the outside.

  Inside the dome the visual scene wasn’t warped any longer and showed that every fiend that had come were all waiting together beneath the expansive and translucent curtain, even warhorses stood with the fiends. Beside the awaiting fiends stood thousands of Freelan’s best and brightest warriors, all ready and waiting for orders. Where they stood was a simple, level and unused lot of grassland
that was perfect for any kind of training or special usage.

  Their approach and passing through the barrier didn’t go unnoticed as Allahandra and several others met them. Many that guarded the queen were on horseback like her except those already with the fiend leaders. Rakkian didn’t use either as he waited with his warriors and kept all calm. Beta knew his place was by the general’s side and moved away to join him.

  When Allahandra pulled on the reigns of her horse Breaker gently glided overhead, keeping a watchful eye for any potential threats against her. Once her most loyal and personal guards stopped she said “I am glad to see you’ve returned. As you can see I have gathered many of Freelan’s greatest protectors and all of the fiends were gracious enough to come out and join us without incident.”

  “What is going on?” Alex asked straightforwardly as he dropped from his partner’s back. “I look around and see how tense everyone is and you even have your deadliest guards traveling with you.” He watched as those guards who were all level five had made a guardable perimeter for their queen and Alex to talk. They each looked ready to use their superior items at a moment’s notice. “And why have you had someone create this strange dome?”

  “At least I can always count on you being direct.” Allahandra sighed as she dismounted her prized steed to speak upon the ground. It was then he noticed she wore pants instead of her dress and looked ready for a workout. The only thing that set her apart from everyone else was her gold tiara that remained subtle in her pulled back hair. Her tone turned serious and left absolutely no doubt that this was the truth. “To keep the long explanation to a minimum, I’ve gotten word from many of our loyal spies hidden throughout the lands that the king’s forces that have been gathering at Central City have begun to move.”