The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge)

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The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge) Page 25

by Sargeant, Justin


  One of these happened to land directly in front of Landon. A young girl under the age of ten was searching for her parents. She clutched a small stuffed animal. Tears from her frightened eyes streamed down her face. Landon was about to call out to her when he was knocked to the ground from the blast. A moment later he stumbled to his feet. A large crater lay in the place where the girl had stood. Fire and rubble lay strewn all about. There was no sign of the little girl except for the small toy she had been carrying. It was in that moment that the gravity of the situation hit Landon.

  Until then he had responded from instinct and training. His ring had protected him from the effects of the flames, so he had not truly experienced the panic with everyone else. The image of the frightened little girl standing before him one minute then gone all of a sudden dropped him to his knees. A flood of anger and sadness poured out of him as tears streamed down his face. He felt anguish for the girl. He felt for her parents. He was glad he had not caused this and began to hate whoever was leading the attack.

  He stopped himself from reeling from the situation, and began to clear his head. He knew he still needed to reach Aquila but now he was much more aware of what was happening around him. He picked Daxis back up and continued towards her location. He found the stables safe from damage but with a frantic Aquila. Landon released her, and, after calming her down, laid Daxis on her back.

  He knew of only one way out that might be unguarded. It was a secret gate out of the city that Godfrey had shown to him once. The blacksmith had been immersed in telling him a story about a battle in Camsbury long ago. The gate was used by a few brave knights to escape a siege and bring reinforcements from Linsford. Since that time the gate had been boarded up and forgotten. Godfrey became so animated while telling it that he had led Landon all over the city reenacting the events. They eventually wound up at the gate. It was located in the very east of the city behind many dilapidated and abandoned homes. Landon hoped he would be able to use it to send Aquila and Daxis’ body to Aratus. Once he helped defend the city, he would make his way there as well.

  It took Landon a few hours for Aquila and him to make their way across the city through much of the broken buildings and flames. Once he arrived on the east side of town, it did not take long for him to find the section of the wall Godfrey had taken him to that day. He could not quite remember the exact location, but he knew that if he followed the wall, he would run into it. The sounds of battle had grown quieter giving him hope that his plan would succeed. He walked along placing his hands on the wall waiting to feel a break in the frame.

  This part of the wall had been renovated with new, stronger wood that resembled the older wood exactly. This made it nearly impossible to tell where the old gate had been. The only way to tell the difference in the wood was by the feel of it. The new wood made a hairline protrusion from the wall. The difficulty of finding it was exacerbated because this part of the city lay in the shadow of both the castle and the cathedral. The sun was also setting which added another degree of complexity to Landon’s mission.

  Continuing along the wall Landon stumbled over a broken piece of wood near the ground. At the same time his hand had caught a hold of the miniscule bump in the fence. He used it to steady himself. Landon realized he had found what he was looking for and broke off a piece of the wall. Behind it a metal hinge gleamed quietly. Quickly, Landon began to pull apart the entire structure eventually revealing a solid, if not rickety, gate. He opened it carefully praying there were no enemy soldiers present. The further he opened the gate the more he realized that this section of the city truly was left unguarded. He led Aquila out of the city into the open field.

  “Make your way to Aratus. Be seen by no one. I will follow when I can,” he commanded her in a whisper. Then, with a smack on the rear the horse bolted from the location and disappeared over a hill in the distance. Landon whispered a short prayer of protection then quickly made his way back toward the chaos.

  When he arrived, much had changed. Though he had only been away from the melee for a few hours, soldiers had apparently broken into the city and began a rampage. It explained why Landon had not heard much sound of battle. Most of the streets were now deserted with a few people running to and fro in search of someone. The bombs of fire had ceased but many houses and buildings were slowly burning to the ground. A few groups of men worked hard to extinguish them and salvage as many homes as they could. Landon was surprised to see that one of these groups was led by Archer, the merchant who had closed his shop and left town. If they survived this, Landon was determined to hear the entire story.

  He continued to survey the area and realized that not only had soldiers destroyed the city from the inside, they had destroyed the citizens. Many innocent people lay slaughtered on the ground next to a few scattered fallen soldiers. Landon was greatly disturbed that he was not present to defend the people. He knew he had done a great service to Daxis by honoring his body, but he wondered if he had made the wrong choice. In doing so he had allowed the deaths of countless innocent citizens by not being there to defend them. This truth brought a new shock to his senses. He suddenly remembered the words of Aldous about being a necessary hero in the fight against a coming evil. Could this have been the evil about which he spoke? Landon could not move. He watched as more soldiers moved into the city meeting resistance from a few brave citizens. Archer led a team in quenching a fire. Women protected their children as they hurried them along the road. Suddenly, a loud explosion caused Archer to command the men around him to defend the town and their families. Landon saw him abandon the crusade to hold off the flames, grab a large sword from the ground, and lead a charge into the thick of a squad of soldiers.

  This roused Landon from his guilt. He knew that he must not allow any others to die needlessly. He had been given this power for a reason and perhaps it was for such a time as this. He looked about and saw the extent to which the city was burning. The only way to save it was to kill the fire. With every able man fighting the soldiers, Landon was the only person available for the job. He also happened to be the only person who held command over flame. He knew that he could not simply move the fire for that would cause more destruction to the outside world. The only solution was to draw the fire into himself and extinguish it. He had never done that before let alone on such a large scale. If he had the sun he could use its heat to strengthen his power, but since the sun had already disappeared over the horizon he could not count on that for assistance. In that moment, a wind of hope blew into his soul. He was reminded of the truth that he commanded a fire demon even before he controlled his power. If he could do that, then all he had to do was trust and his task would be accomplished.

  He closed his eyes to prepare himself for the energy he was about to dispense. He thought of the long journey he had taken to get here. All of the hard work he had put in. He knew he could do this. He felt outside of his body for the extra appendage he had used in the cottage against Gavin. He realized he had a much further reach than the last time he had used his power. He could feel the flames that burned all over the city. There were some blazes scattered along the southern wall, others filling up the castle, but the majority of the conflagration was centered on homes in the heart of the city. Within his mind he could see every location a fire burned. In his mind, he reached out and drew his arms around each and every flame. Once it was secure in his grasp he began pulling it towards himself. The strength needed to move the fire was tremendous and Landon was uncertain he would be able to do it. Without a source to draw energy from, he feared he would fail. He resolved to either succeed or die trying. He refused to surrender. Beads of sweat formed on his brow.

  For many moments he stood there pulling with all of his might to no avail. The fire could not be commanded to move. It was too big. Then, finally, with a last ditch effort, Landon felt the flames move ever so slightly. He pulled even harder feeling the resistance begin to slip away. The sweat on his forehead slowly turned red as his spirit was bein
g consumed by the energy he was using. It took every ounce of force to move the inferno a foot. Landon realized he had been holding his breath. He exhaled and focused again. He knew he had to control his breathing. Again he concentrated on his task and began to drag the fire towards him. The pattern of breathing, pulling, sweating, and bleeding continued for what seemed like days.

  Eventually he opened his eyes to discover he had moved the entirety of the blaze halfway towards him from where he began. The evidence of the charred remains stood as a testament to the attack. Landon already felt drained, and he began to believe he would die before he finished. He took a deep breath and focused himself again. Over and over again Landon continued to pull the flames into a small area of containment stopping every so often to catch his breath.

  The battle between Archer and the soldiers continued as well. The sounds of swords clashing and people screaming fought against his senses to break his concentration. He resisted them all the while pouring his life force into his mission. Then, when his body could not take the pressure any longer, he stopped. He had contained the entire blaze into his immediate area. Only one building remained alight and it was already too gone to be saved. Landon fell to his knees from exhaustion. This work had pushed him further than he ever believed he could go.

  As Landon kneeled on the ground a sense of cold began to sweep over him. The energy had sapped his strength so much that all Landon could now feel was only the absence of heat. But something did not make sense. There was something more to the cold than simply the onset of night, a reduction in flames, and a tremendous loss of energy. The frost felt foreign, almost evil. Landon reached out to pull the rest of the flames to him but they would no longer obey his command. The air continued to chill. With all of his might Landon could not create a flame to keep himself warm. He was too exhausted. He wondered what was happening to him. Then a voice from his nightmares explained it all.

  “Getting cold isn’t it,” a dark voice behind him stated bitterly. “I have been looking forward to this day for a very long time.”

  The voice sent a chill down his spine. It was enough to make him stand and face whoever was speaking. A single man draped in a black cloak stood before him. His face was hidden beneath a dark hood. He held his arm out towards Landon slowly closing his fist. Landon began to feel a tightness wrap around him.

  “We have searched the realm looking for you. The others went easily. I had hoped you would provide more of a challenge,” the voice taunted.

  The hooded enemy continued to squeeze the water in Landon’s body around himself. Pressure began to build in him. In an instant, he felt his chest become heavy and his breathing became short. Landon dug deep into his soul struggling for any ounce of strength he might find. There was one last drop, and he reached deep inside for it. It seemed a hair’s breadth outside of his reach. He stretched out just trying to touch the very tip of what was left in him. He reached out and grasped hold of it. He pulled it out of him and began to gain control of himself and his breathing.

  Then in response, the pressure surrounding him grew stronger and his breathing became even shallower. It was all he could do just to get a slight breath. The air around him cooled drastically. The hairs on his arms and body began to stand up. He could see his breath in the air when what air he could get was expired from his mouth. Landon knew he did not have long. His vision blurred. His peripheral vision slowly turned into twilight.

  The air around him grew even colder and his body shivered uncontrollably. He needed heat. From somewhere deep inside anger, frustration, and pain began to build. Landon could feel it growing in his stomach and flow towards the tips of his fingers. Every fiber of his being felt as if it was on fire; he was burning from the inside out yet it was turning to ice. At that instant, Landon saw from the corner of his eye the flames from the roof of the nearest house dance off the thatch work and fly straight towards him. His first reaction was fear, but he immediately remembered all of the tests Aldous and Aratus had put him through. He closed his eyes and focused his energy towards the flame. As he touched the outer band of the fire, his mind began to burn. But Landon held on. He wrapped his mind around the fire and grabbed it with all of his might. This time he pulled with all of his might expecting resistance as before but it easily came to him. The flames splashed over him filling him with warmth. The instant he used his energy Landon regretted it. He had selfishly warmed himself instead of attacking his enemy. As soon as the heat dissipated he realized that he should have stopped the one in control of what was happening. It finally occurred to him. Just as he controlled fire, this guy controlled ice. He was beginning to freeze to death from the inside out.

  Once Landon realized this he reached out to grab another flame but he could not reach it. His limit was shortened. He tried to move closer to the flames but realized a thick sheet of ice held his feet firmly in place. He could not move. Panic seized him. He had been so foolish! All of his training had come to this moment and when it mattered most he had failed. He wondered what the stranger had planned. It did not take long to find out. Suddenly, the hooded figure released his grip on Landon for a split second only to put out the rest of the flames. The last vestiges of his hope had vanished replaced by an ice cold film. Landon was at the mercy of his dark enemy.

  Again the hooded man placed his power around Landon and he felt an icy hand begin to squeeze life out of him. Landon knew this was the end and struggled to fight. He closed his eyes to attempt one last time to create a flame, but his strength was depleted and the air was too cold around him. Slowly he was being crushed to death. His body was turning to ice. The blood in his veins cooled as he took one last breath. The blackness over his eyes crept from the corners closer and closer towards each other. He thought about everyone who had believed in him: about Aratus and Aldous who had trained. He thought about not being able to save Daxis and letting Godfrey down who had put so much faith in him. He thought about his uncle lost on some wild errand. Lastly, he thought about his parents. He wished he could have met them if only for a moment. He was genuinely sorry that he did not live up to all of their expectations. A single tear from each eye rolled down his face and froze on the surface. It was too late. His time was up. He whispered a weak, “I’m sorry.”And then, there was only darkness.

  Epilogue

  Mordecai rode Abaccus hard across the open plain. He only had a few hours remaining to find what he was looking for. The man at the inn had promised he would find clues at the crossroads, but deep inside he doubted. Every possible clue so far had led to a dead end. He feared what Malchus might do if he did not complete his mission. As he neared the fork, he saw nothing. A few trees on the edge of the forest swayed in the breeze. A number of small animals scurried about. Other than that, silence abounded. The sun was approaching its zenith. Wisps of clouds moved slowly across the sky. Mordecai pulled the horse to a stop and looked about. he saw no one coming from either direction and he knew he had been had. He marched the horse over to the trees and dismounted to loosen his legs.

  In the distance, a rumbling careened through the dirt.. Mordecai strained to listen. He couldn’t tell from whence it came. He stooped low to the ground to place his ear upon the dirt. The rumbling grew louder as it moved towards him. It was coming from the direction of Linsford. It grew louder still and Mordecai recognized it as the unmistakable sound of hooves beating upon the road. It sounded like a number of horses carrying large burdens. An ominous feeling hung about whatever was approaching. He needed to get off the road.

  He hurried to Abaccus and hid them both behind a clump of trees just off the main road. Peering through a slight crack in their midst, Mordecai watched as three men clad in the armor of the Sovereign’s Guards sped their steeds toward his location. As they approached, the tall, muscular man in front eased on his reins. The two others followed suit. The men looked weary as though they had ridden hard all day and night.

  “This is where we rest. Find shade for the horses and unroll the packs. Alge
rnon, take the first watch.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  Mordecai watched intently as the two subordinates carried out the leader’s order while he prepared to sleep. He wished he could do the same. He had left so early last night. He felt remorseful for making Landon prepare the fields alone, but what choice did he have? He had to keep his nephew safe. He knew he was a gruff man and wished he had shown more affection to Landon. But he didn’t really know how.

  Snapping him from his train of thoughts, another rumble began to shake the ground. Mordecai thought it came from a large army pursuing the soldiers. That must be why they were riding so hard, he thought. Two of the men were sound asleep while the third sat tall on his horse staring back and forth at the roads. No alarm could be seen in his posture.

  The rumbling grew louder and stronger.

  It became difficult for Mordecai to stand. Abaccus whinnied, as did the other horses. The lookout finally noticed that something was amiss and frantically looked about for the source. The two slumbering soldiers did not move.

  The ground began to shake violently.

  Tree trunks snapped around Mordecai. The senior officer continued to dream peacefully while the other soldier now stirred. Suddenly, an enormous crack appeared adjacent to the three men. Mordecai was tossed to the ground as a large branch fell on top of him. It dazed him, but he was not severely injured. He looked up to see the fissure begin to widen. The man on his horse attempted to spur his steed away from the scene, but instead was thrown to the ground when the horse reared up and dashed away. Mordecai became frozen with fear. He watched the scene play out before him, but was not prepared for what happened next.

 

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