The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge)

by Sargeant, Justin

  It wasn’t long until a noise roused him from his slumber. Alert but confused, Landon sat up quickly. He managed to unsheathe his sword while moving to a kneeling position. A feat not easily accomplished. Once done, he looked about him for the source of the noise. He noticed a small boat tied to the edge of the lake a few paces from his position which he had not seen before. He saw no one about, however. Then suddenly he heard a gasp from behind and a scared female voice.

  “Please do not hurt me, kind sir. I mean you no harm.”

  “Why have you brought me here?” Landon demanded wheeling around to face her.

  “You were injured. I only meant to help,” the woman said. “Please put away your weapon.”

  Landon saw that she was a beautiful woman, slightly older than he, and realized she was no threat. He resheathed his sword. “I do not know who you are, but I would appreciate your telling me how I might be on my way. I have a very important errand to attend to that is time sensitive.”

  “Oh I can help you, I can, but you must not leave yet in your condition. You were badly hurt when I found you. Now that you are awake you are in need of food. I will make us something to eat then I will guide you on your way.” Realizing there was no point in arguing and that he needed her assistance, Landon acquiesced. He may have been her prisoner but only so long as he allowed himself to be.

  He watched as she retrieved two rabbits from the boat and cooked them over a fire. His stomach grumbled with the thought of hot meat in it again. The last time he had eaten this good, was with Gavin in the Arden. He sat down beside the fire and eagerly received the handful of food the strange woman had given him. He ate it ravenously forgoing all manners. The woman blushed at his appetite. As he finished his second serving the woman became interested in him.

  “What is this important errand you are on?” she inquired.

  “I am looking for a master swordsman,” Landon said flatly focused more on his food than the conversation.

  “Where does this master swordsman live?” she continued.

  “I do not know exactly,” he answered with flesh still in his mouth. “I was on my way to find him, when I was ambushed by the men.”

  “If you do not know where he is, then how can you hope to find him?”

  He was becoming slightly irritated at the inquiry into his personal matters, but still Landon answered trying to conceal his true feelings. “I was following a riddle given to me by a sage. It was leading me towards Rindland where I was to find the answers. This sidetrack is putting many individuals at grave risk.”

  “Hmm. . . It does sound as though you are on a quest of mighty importance. Perhaps I can assist you in your search. I know many things of this part of the world. Perchance I know the master you seek. What is his name?”

  “I highly doubt a poor, lonely girl living alone in the mountains would have knowledge of the greater world,” Landon retorted with a sense of cynicism in his voice rivaling that of Gavin’s.

  “You doubt my knowledge. I see. Then I must be of no use to you. Farewell then, good gentlemen, I will retire to my indolent life. Good luck on your journey.” The woman rose to her feet to leave and Landon realized his mistake. In questioning her ability to help he had denied the very fact that she was the only one who could lead him out of this quandary he was in.

  “Wait. I apologize. I did not mean to offend. It’s just that I have seen so many things so far in my journey that I have apparently become more cynical than I realize. I will be frank if you will promise to aid me.”

  The woman hesitated then turned to face Landon. “I agree.”

  “Thank you. The Master’s name is Aratus. Know you anyone by that name?”

  “Indeed. I am quite familiar with this Aratus,” the woman said with a smile.

  “Could you take me to him?” Landon asked with bewilderment.

  “I cannot.”

  “But you just promised to help me!”

  “I did, but you have not told me all of your tale. What is it that Aratus can help you with?”

  “I am to learn at his hand how to become a master swordsman myself. With his training I will be able to reclaim what is mine and take vengeance upon a murderer.

  “Then it is justice you seek?”

  “Aye, but more than that. What was taken from me is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands.”

  “And yours are the right hands?”

  This thought had not occurred to Landon. Surely he trusted himself, for the ring was his. But what would make someone else trust him? “I cannot give you assurance that mine are the best hands other than to say that the object belongs to me, and I was sent by Aldous to find Master Aratus. So, will you take me to him? ”

  “As I mentioned before, I cannot take you to him.”

  “How longwill you play this game?”

  I cannot take you to him, for Aratus is not a him. She is a her.”

  “Aratus is a woman?” Landon asked finding himself becoming more astonished the longer he spent with this strange lady.

  “Does it surprise you to learn this?”

  “It does indeed. Aldous said the master was a man.”

  “Perhaps you did not listen to him carefully. I do not think wise Aldous would have made that mistake. He knew quite well who Master Aratus is.”

  “You know Aldous?” Landon said feeling as though there was more to this woman than meets the eye.

  “Who does not know of him? Even I in my humble surroundings have heard his name mentioned. I am more surprised to know that you were acquainted with him.”

  “Our time was brief. He is now dead.”

  “Then it truly is a sad day.” She said pausing with obvious sorrow. “The sun is passing overhead. We have much work to do.”

  Landon was baffled. “Is the journey to Aratus long?”

  “Nay, she is very close. Unsheath your sword.”

  Landon knew not what the woman was up to, but he had insulted her once with the result of almost being stuck in this place. He did not want to do it again. He drew Affliction from its sheath. Then the woman did something even odder. She left him standing in the glade with sword drawn as she retired to her boat. She rummaged for quite a while until finally retrieving a sword of her own. It was the most delicate and fierce weapon Landon had ever seen. Its blade was slender with a slight curve to it and two rubies embedded into the base of the blade. It was a very elegant weapon. He wondered how this poor woman came to own it. She moved to a position in front of Landon and held the sword vertically in front of her. Landon knew not what to do.

  “Is that your best defensive stance?” she said with incredulity.

  “I do not have time to teach you how to fight. I need to find Aratus so he- er, she, can teach me.”

  “Silly boy, you do not understand. I am not asking you to teach me. I am assessing your skill.”

  “Why don’t you let Aratus do that? Why must you stall instead of lead me to her?”

  “I will make a deal with you. We will spar. If you win, we will leave immediately, but if I win, you must wait until I am ready.”

  “Fine. Let us begin,” he said uninterested.

  Landon raised his sword above his head to prepare his defense. The lady remained in hers. For a long moment neither of them moved expecting the other person to attack first. Landon did not want to hurt the woman and it seemed as though the woman was at complete peace standing ready. Finally, Landon could not take the silence and lunge forward slashing his sword at the lady’s midsection. He did not want to hurt her so his thrust was only half-hearted. As his blade came close to the lady’s side she flung her sword and knocked his out of the way. Landon felt the power she held in her grip as his sword flew back almost out of his hands. She returned to her poised position. She was not taking this lightly and apparently Landon shouldn’t either. He returned to his position and decided to change his approach. She somehow knew enough about swordplay to defend herself. Landon was certain, though, that her skill was rudimentary at
best. This time he would try a trick move.

  Landon took a step to his left while keeping his sword in the air. Then he swung it towards her head from the right while stepping back towards that direction. The lady did not react. Landon continued his move by rotating his wrists and turning the sword from the right side of the lady’s head to the left side of her body. Again, she swung her sword to deflect Landon’s but this time there was a much fiercer aspect to her defense. Landon’s sword was struck so hard it flew from his hand and landed a few feet away against the trunk of a tree. She moved back to her original position. Landon stood before her confused. He was weaponless and beginning to understand that this woman was not some simple mountain girl. In her eyes was a calm ferocity.

  “Who are you?” he asked.

  “My name is Aratus, Master of the blade. The one whom you seek,” she answered with a bow.

  “Of course you are,” Landon said remembering his encounters with both Daxis and Aldous. Both times they had pretended to be someone else. He wondered if everyone had a false identity.

  “You deceive me.”

  “I thought it best to discover your true intentions before agreeing to train you.”

  “You will train me, then?”

  “Perhaps. The task will not be easy. You have much to learn and much pain to suffer before the end. I only ask that you be honest with me. What is the object you seek?”

  Landon realized that his only hope lay in trusting this woman implicitly. He wasn’t sure if it was wise, but he had run out of options.

  “It is a ring. It contains one of the five Stones of Revenge empowering the wearer with the ability to control fire. The one who has taken it is an evil man who would use it to subject the world under his power. I must defeat him in order to stop that from happening.”

  “I see in you a strength beyond your years. You may one day face a decision that will hold the fate of the whole of the realm in the balance. Until that day, I will be your master. You will address me as such and you will do exactly as I say.”

  “What is my first task, Master?”Landon said returning her bow with his own.

  “Retrieve your sword for it must never leave your side. Your blade is an extension of you. To lose it means death. Therefore, you must climb that mountainside with it unsheathed and make it to that ledge.” Aratus pointed to an outcropping of rock in the closest cliff about halfway up. Landon could not believe this was his first task.

  “Can’t I start with something easier like footwork?” he asked.

  “You could not hold onto your blade at the easiest flick of my wrist. To defeat your enemy you must learn this above all else. I will give you until sunset to make it to the ledge. Should you fail, I will no longer be your teacher.” Aratus ended her instructions by sheathing her sword and sitting down upon the grass waiting for him to complete his task.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Apprentice

  Landon looked to the large cliff and took a deep breath. He had never accomplished anything like this before. He didn’t even know where to begin. Picking up his sword, Landon walked over to the wall face. He placed his hand on the rock to feel its smooth structure. There were many grooves within the rock crisscrossing each other. He assumed he would need those to hold onto. He reached up with his right hand while holding the sword in his left and tried to find something to grab onto. Nothing availed itself. He moved to another area to find a starting point. Finally, he found a deep gouge in the wall and placed his foot inside. It was tight enough to hold him but loose enough to remove his foot.

  He stepped into the rock and pushed himself up to find another hand hold. He grabbed it with his free hand and found himself hanging against the cliff. He looked up for another handhold and found one a few inches above the first. He could not let go of the rock without falling and he could not put his sword down. He did not know what to do next. His grip, however, was failing. Landon decided he would try to reach higher with his right hand and let go of the first hold extending himself as high as he could to reach the second. As he did so he slipped and fell off the wall.

  He hit the ground with a hard thud. Luckily, he was only a few feet off of the ground. He looked back at his adversarial wall and decided to formulate a plan. His first solution was to hold the sword in his mouth. He put the blade up to his lips and tried to bite down; however, the thickness of the blade made it impossible to hold in his mouth. He knew that he could not let go of his sword or risk failing the test. He also knew that he could not climb unless he let go the blade. He stood there for a few minutes attempting to solve his dilemma when a loophole occurred to him. Master Aratus said I could not sheath my sword, but she did not say that I couldn’t momentarily let go of it. If I could somehow let go of the sword, reach up with a new hand, find a good hold and re-catch my sword, I should be able to do this. Logically it seemed to make sense, but Landon was unsure he could actually perform the task. He decided he had to try.

  Landon placed his foot in the crack and reached up to grab the first hand hold as before. Pulling himself up into position, he steadied himself for the move. He knew that all he had to do was pull himself up before he caught the sword in the other hand. He tried it. The blade went into the air. He pulled himself to the new hold and grabbed it with his left hand. Then he reached out for the sword and felt it touch his fingertips before falling to the ground below. He was excited. Though he had not caught the sword, he knew that his plan might work. It was just timing he needed to perfect.

  He dropped back down to recover his weapon and tried the maneuver again. Again he was unsuccessful but he was improving. Time and again Landon attempted to switch hands while ascending the wall. Each time the sword would fall to the ground but Landon refused to give up. If I give up now, I give up on the world. I cannot fail. He tried again to perform the maneuver. This time it worked! He had made it to the next step. The next attempt would not be as easy. Neither would each move up the mountain. The stakes became more intense at every level he moved up. Landon tried not to think about the dangers and instead focused on his task. Each hold was more difficult, but each forced Landon to concentrate all the more. Each step he took up the mountain was another devoted to the hold, the sword, and his timing.

  Ten steps up, he mistakenly looked down. Sweat was already making his hands slippery. All at once fear grabbed him. From his vantage point, he might as well have been one hundred feet off the ground. He clung to the rock afraid to move any further. Down below, he saw Aratus sitting still in a relaxed position. He began to resent her. He returned his attention to the cliff. He did not want to continue, but he also knew the consequences. I cannot take another life. All of the people in the Realm. All of those families. Children. Each one of them unknowingly was counting on him. And he wasn’t even sure that if he did complete his training he would be able to go through with it.

  He knew Gavin deserved death. But did justice have to come from his hand? He never wanted this. He never asked for this. All he ever really wanted was his parents and a quiet life. That desire for adventure was all a lie. He would take it all back if it meant just one day with his parents.

  My parents, he thought. They sent me on this journey. They wanted me to experience this. If they hadn’t died, I wouldn’t be here. This was the source to his ring’s power, he knew. But this thought grew in him. Slowly, other thoughts began to coalesce with it like pieces of puzzle. He began to understand. And if they hadn’t, the world wouldn’t have had someone to defend it. He became more resolute. Maybe this was all planned. Maybe everything was meant to happen this way. Maybe God had already determined all of these events from the beginning. If so, then my future has already been written. I’m either going to fail or succeed no matter what. He let go of his fear and clung to this idea. He let it drive him to keep going. He didn’t know the outcome, but it no longer mattered to him. He gained a powerful reassurance from the thought that his life and actions were all predetermined whether true or not. He was chosen to wie
ld the ring, and he was chosen to keep the world safe. Nothing was an accident.

  He reached up to grab a new hold. The sword flew into the air, and he caught it with confidence. Again he moved up. Another step. Then another. If he fell, that was all a part of the plan, too. He believed it wasn’t. He knew he wasn’t going to fail.

  About an hour into his climb Landon decided to look up. The ledge was only a few more holds above him. He was exhausted from the hard work. Beads of sweat had been pouring from his body the entire ascent. He took a minute to catch his breath. Climbing a mountain was the most taxing physical event he ever undertook. Again Landon tossed the blade and moved his hand up. He reached out for it and as it touched his fingers, the sweat caused the sword to slip. He tried to catch it again and accidentally hit into the air. This was a lucky happenstance as it allowed him another chance to catch hold of it. He wiped his brow with his forearm. Landon refused to break his concentration. He maneuvered again. This time he had no issue. He was now only two more steps from the ledge.

  He moved up once more, but this time disaster struck. As he reached for the sword, the hilt slipped through his fingers again. This time he was not able to bounce it back up to himself and had to reach out with his foot to catch the blade. This caused him to lose his sure footing and swing his body out against the cliff. The sword, however, caught on his shoe. Landon frailly raised his foot to his free hand. The weapon was so delicately hanging on that one sudden movement, one burst of wind and the whole task would be for naught.