by K.L. Bauman
From the corner of his eye, Ayden could see Volos looking at him as if lack of oxygen had addled his brain, but he didn't dare move. He didn't want to take his eyes away from the water; he didn't even risk blinking for fear he'd miss a glimpse of his parents' watery forms.
Sabina knelt beside him and reached for the Sword of Songs before jerking her hand back. She gazed into the water for a long while. Then, she turned to Ayden as he continued frantically searching for the invisible bodies of his parents. "Ayden," she said quietly.
"Don't, Sabina!" Ayden said firmly before she could utter another word. "I know what I saw, and I will not leave this spot until I see them again!"
Volos took a deep breath and spoke firmly, "Ayden, we can't stay here. Degus could be anywhere, and we need to get the sword away from this spot."
Without looking at his friend, Ayden answered, "I'm not worried." He couldn't explain the emotions running through him at that moment. His heart continued to sound like the pounding of the kelpie's hooves, and hope and doubt wrestled with each other inside his mind. The longer he didn't see his parent's forms, the more he worried that he'd been hallucinating. But he couldn't just walk away and not know for sure.
The water bubbled and Ayden's heart came to a stop. Volos and Sabina stood sharply, and everyone except Ayden drew their weapons.
The water made a sick glubbing sound before regurgitating two hideous forms. The water then swirled madly around the bodies as it had done with the dirt Ayden had kicked into a similar pond not so long ago.
Ayden was both relieved and devastated to realize that the two figures were not his parents, but the two sulkas sent to retrieve the sword. They had drowned in the rush of water, and their lifeless bodies now floated there as the water ate away at their filth.
Volos took the scythe-like weapon and pulled the half dissolved bodies to the shore. Ayden could tell as his companions looked to him that they all believed he'd made a mistake, that the bodies he'd seen were the two before them.
Ayden scowled. "I know what I saw. I'd be in the same state as these two if my parents hadn't pulled me through the water. I have to see them again."
Despite the sincerity in his voice, Ayden could tell that no one, not even Volos, believed him. Sympathy shone in their eyes as if they were looking at someone drowning in denial. He looked directly at Da'ewyn and said, "If you had a chance to see your mother, wouldn't you stay? Even if it meant seeing her only for a moment?" Da'ewyn didn't say a word, but stared steadily into Ayden's eyes.
He turned then to Pax. "What about you, Pax? Wouldn't you take a chance with time if it meant being able to see your mother again? To ask her all the questions you've been longing to ask her?"
Pax's cheeks reddened as he cast his eyes to the ground. When no one else said anything further, Ayden turned his attention back to the water. The only sound was the splashing of the waterfall as it connected with the pool.
Ayden would've waited a week, a month, maybe longer to catch a glimpse of the faces of his parents. He knew they were there. Even if they were ghosts, they were there, and they had helped him through the water.
Rumbling sounded from above. Ayden felt Pax poke at his shoulder. He didn't look up. He didn't want any more 'help' from his friends just then. He continued to stare at the water.
The rumbling grew louder, and the sky's light reflecting on the surface of the water dissolved. Ayden finally forced himself to look up as all of his companions gave their attention to the sky. Black, not dark gray, but BLACK clouds were forming at a supernatural rate-there was no wind. Jagged fingers of electricity shot between them, followed by loud rumbling.
Ayden didn't know what it was about storms, but they had a hypnotizing way about them. Maybe it was dark curiosity, morbid fascination, or the lure of the awesome power of nature. In any case, the companions stared at the growing storm too long. A jagged finger of light shot down and struck the pool of water beside them. They were blown to their backs, and their eardrums were nearly shattered with the whip-cracking sound of thunder.
Two more bolts shot close by as the light of the sun was swallowed in the darkness of the clouds. The companions scrambled to their feet. If he hadn't been terrified, Ayden would've busted a gut laughing; everyone's hair was standing on end from the electricity in the air, and their eyes were wide and bulging. Volos, with his bald head, was the only one who looked somewhat normal.
"We have to get away from this water!" Volos boomed. The pool had grown since it had been struck, and was swelling with every second. Not a drop of rain had fallen.
Ayden hadn't noticed how rocky the area around the pool was until he was rushing in a frenzy over jagged, uneven stones to higher ground. The stones didn't look right. They didn't look like they'd fallen from the side of a mountain or cliff, but as if they'd been thrust upward through the ground like giant fingers attempting to escape a black tomb.
The storm continued to grow. Great bolts of lightning struck all around, cutting into the stone. Ayden expected the electricity to shoot through the ground to their feet, but it never did. This was no force of nature. Degus was behind this. The old crone wasn't wasting time trying to get him and his friends out of her way!
Sabina, who'd gracefully taken the lead, shouted back, "I see a cave ahead! We can shelter th--" her words were cut off as a bolt struck in front of her, and the stones beneath her feet gave way. She shot upward, twisting through the air, and landed delicately on her feet. She was okay.
Ayden couldn't say as much for the rest of them. As lightning struck the air and ground, the avalanche of rock showered toward them. After being hit a dozen times and losing their footing, Ayden heard Pax sputter something under his breath. The rocks froze in mid-air above their heads. Everyone stared in wonder as Ayden poked at one of the rocks. It was as if it were embedded in concrete.
"Th-Thay'll only s-stay up far a few s-s-seconds!" Pax yelled. The sounds of grunting and scrambling joined with smacking of thunder as the companions frantically made their way to the cave. Volos, who was at the rear, made it past Sabina a split second before Pax's spell gave way, sending the remaining rocks crashing down the slope.
Ayden turned and looked back to where they'd come from. He was amazed how far they'd actually gone in such a short time; at least a half mile. From the cave, he could see that the pool below had quadrupled in size since they'd left.
The scene began to vibrate and a rumbling, which started low and gradually grew louder, announced the beginning of a violent earthquake. Ayden clung to the side of the cave entrance as he watched more loose rock bounce down the hillside.
Everyone shouted, startled, as a geyser exploded and stretched toward the sky from the center of the pool. Lightening shot all around it, sending waves of deadly light through the geyser. Massive, pointed, black stones thrust themselves through the earth, making what looked like a cage around the water. In a matter of seconds, the entire rock-encircled valley below the cave was flooded. The geyser spent itself and the pool, now a lake caged by black stones, became quiet. The dark clouds and thunder continued.
Volos' voice broke the stunned silence. "Well, there's not much to do now but wait out the storm." He sat down a few paces into the cave. Keena joined him and they produced food from their packs and began to eat. Again, Keena's expression was one of ecstasy as she sank her teeth into the food.
Ayden watched them incredulously for a few moments. "How can you eat right now? Did you not see what just happened? Degus is trying to kill us and you're eating?"
Volos studied Ayden before responding. "Degus wasn't trying to kill us. She wouldn't have risked losing the sword in the flood." He shook his head and gazed toward the cave's opening. "It was magic, no doubt. But, if I'm not mistaken, we've just witnessed the unveiling of the Glass Lake."
Dumbfounded faces gaped at Volos. "The Glass Lake? You mean, the Glass Lake? The Glass Lake where King Elrohir defeated his cousin? T
he lake where we're supposed to defeat Degus?" Ayden asked. He'd been expecting to travel more before reaching the lake. He wasn't ready!
"Yes. That Glass Lake. When this storm is over?" Volos lost his words as the reality of what was soon to happen sank in.
Ayden, accompanied by everyone else in the cave, released a girly scream as the enchantress appeared before them. She floated there for a moment before she finally spoke in a reluctant voice. "Degus fears the sword in another's hand."
Really?
"She summons an army that will gather at the lake. You will have to go through that army to reach her. But do not be dismayed."
Are you kidding me?
"Together, you are strong. Hope lives in unity." Then looking at Ayden, she instructed, "Use the sword only for that purpose for which it is intended."
With those words, she vanished. Ayden was beginning hate the sight of that woman, enchantress, whatever she was. "Doesn't she ever have any good news?"
Pax audibly growled at Ayden. "Sh-She's our g-guide-a-a-a help."
"You just have a thing for her because you were the first to see her. Well, it'd be a sweet day if I never saw her again!" Ayden shouted back.
"Y-Yah thenk y-yah know i-it all, d-don't yah?" Pax was breathing heavily.
Ayden contorted his face and shook his head, "What is that supposed to mean? You're not making any sense!"
Pax's face darkened as he spoke in a deep, controlled voice. "Yah don' know anything!" He marched deeper into the cave, dissolving into the shadows. Ayden thought he heard him flop to the ground; he expected Pax to produce his point of light and begin to read. But he remained silent in the darkness.
"Why are you so hard on him?" Sabina asked quietly.
Ayden ran his fingers through his hair and released some negative energy with a breath. "I don't know. I'm just tense and, I guess, Pax is an easy target. I don't mean to be that way. He's like a little brother to me."
Da'ewyn spoke, "I can understand. Siblings can get under your skin in ways that no one else can." She gave Ayden a smirk.
A bolt of lightning hit close to the cave and everyone covered their ears, shielding them from the blast of noise that accompanied it. When the sound died away, Sabina asked Ayden, "Do you think it will last much longer?"
"I don't know."
Volos suggested, "We need to try to rest some before this storm ends. We'll need our strength for what lies ahead."
Ayden stood frozen as the others unrolled their sleeping gear and attempted to rest. He stared out at the flashes of light and the newly formed lake. Ice took hold of his insides and he shivered. What am I doing here? I'm an inexperienced dork fumbling in the dark. I can't fight against an entire army! I can't fight against Degus! I couldn't even get past Jared without getting caught! Come to think of it, I've never overcome any magic. What if I get everyone killed?
Chapter Forty-One
Broken Hope