The sound of the word sent a chill up Lucy’s back. Another convulsive shiver spread out all over her body.
“Do they still exist; the reapers, I mean?”
“I’ll get to that. Am I going too fast, is any of this overwhelming?”
“It’s all overwhelming, but you said I needed to hear it, so I’m listening,” Lucy answered honestly.
“After the king’s son had killed him by stabbing a golden knife into his heart, he fled to the woods.”
“Wait a minute,” Lucy said, holding up her hands. “If he’s immortal, how could he be killed?”
“There is one way to kill an immortal. It’s the same way you make someone immortal. You stab a golden knife into their heart.”
“Does that mean …” She looked down at Benjamin’s chest.
Benjamin nodded his head and pulled open his shirt. Right over his heart Lucy saw a six-inch scar that ran the length of his left breast.
“Did it hurt?”
“A lot; but, not for long. Once it was done, it was done.”
Lucy reached up as if to touch the scar; Benjamin didn’t object. Her hand hovered over it for a moment, but instead of touching it, she reached down and took his hand instead. She filled him with her light. It was becoming easier to control.
“I’m sorry, Benjamin.” Her words were filled with pain and empathy.
Benjamin squeezed her hand and continued his story. “After the king’s death, my father, being the high priest, was made steward over Zharem by our high council. For ten years we lived, hoping that the son of the king had disappeared, having settled his own personal vendetta. It wasn’t until my father received a prophecy that we knew how badly the king’s son wanted to take control of the city.”
“What was the prophecy?”
“It stated that the son of the king would return, bringing with him an army of evil reapers so immense that it would overpower us in a matter of hours.”
“So, what did he do?”
“Going to the high council, my father shared his prophecy, and the council immediately made plans to move the city.”
“What do you mean move the city? How do you move an entire city?”
“It takes some effort. Though our city is meant for this world, it does exist on many planes and in many universes. It is possible for the high priest to take the city from this world and temporarily move it to paradise, which is a perfect, immortal replica of this earth in a different universe. It is the place where our people go when they die.”
“So, let me get this straight. When you die, you go to a paradise. But, if you moved your city to that paradise, where do people go when they die?”
“They don’t go anywhere; they stay in the city. Their light simply passes from their body like anyone else and they live on forever as beings of light. The best part is that they never have to leave the city.”
“It’s like living with a bunch of ghosts?”
“Not quite. We can’t see them and they can’t see us. Different eyes see different things, but we both occupy the same space.”
Lucy rubbed her eyes, not fully grasping the concept of multiple universes or paradise or anything Benjamin had said. She understood the words, but it was a lot of information. She was just hoping to remember it, at the very least, let alone understand it.
Benjamin held Lucy’s hand tightly, and transferred light to her. She instantly felt better, as if she would have the stamina to continue.
“Anyway, the council decided that they would prepare the city, and in three days they would move it to paradise, where the city would remain indefinitely, having no king or queen.”
Lucy interrupted again, “Why couldn’t a new king or queen be appointed? And why would it have to stay in paradise forever? Why couldn’t they just take the city away for a while and when they were sure the king’s son was dead, bring it back?”
“Well, to answer your first question, the King and Queen are chosen, but not by us. The Immortal Light chooses them because the light knows best what our people need. And, because the family line had not been broken for thousands of years, it was easy to choose a king. The oldest child of the current king and queen would be heir. But, we know why that couldn’t happen.”
Lucy nodded her head in understanding. “So they never had children?”
“No.”
“And there were no other children, like brothers and sisters?”
“The king was an only child, and the queen had both a brother and a sister. The brother disappeared with the king’s secret army, and the sister …” He halted for a moment. “She was the queen’s guardian.”
Lucy didn’t say anything. The story was beginning to feel too detailed, but it was making the picture clearer to see.
“The reason the city must stay away is because without the king and queen, it would fall like every other great city in the history of this world. Our kings and queens have kept our home safe for thousands of years. It is their combined strength of light that helps protect us.”
“I see. You really didn’t have a choice but to leave.” Lucy said.
“Exactly.” Benjamin responded. “The night after the decision was made to move the city permanently, my father had another prophecy. It stated that a new queen would be provided, and when that time came, the prophesied queen would join a new chosen king, and they would rule the city as the most just and powerful leaders the city had ever or would ever see. The only problem was that she would be provided here, in this world, and our people were preparing to take the city away.”
As Lucy processed the last few words, she was hit again with understanding. She looked up at Benjamin and felt his sadness all over again.
“That was the decision you made here, wasn’t it?”
Benjamin looked her in the eyes.
“You and Peter and Jack all volunteered to stay behind and wait for the queen, no matter how long it took.”
Benjamin caught Lucy’s gaze and nodded in affirmation, focusing intensely on her. Lucy held his hands as light passed between them. She tried to decipher his look when the light she was receiving from him conveyed to her what he believed her part to be in his story.
She let go of his hands and stood up. She started to pace, then turned abruptly to face him again.
“So, if I’m all of a sudden experiencing these abilities with the light, and I can come here with you …” She searched Benjamin’s blank expression for any sign that she was on the right track or not. “Does that mean that you think I’m the … queen?”
“To be completely honest, we don’t know if that’s who you are. We know that you have an important role to play, but we’re still not sure what that is. That’s one reason why we came to your house tonight. Peter had to meet you. He was hoping that just by touching you he would be able to tell, but unfortunately there was nothing conclusive. Your light didn’t offer him anything definitive. Even so, he wants to assume that you could be the queen we’ve been waiting for.” He stopped and scratched his head. He looked apprehensive as he looked back up.
Lucy’s heart started to pound again and she could feel the anxiety building; she had to calm down. Benjamin recognized it immediately and stood up to take her hands. They both closed their eyes and Lucy could feel the light flowing from Benjamin and soothing her troubled emotions.
“Lucy, I’ve told you a lot today. But, I want you to know that whatever happens, I will be there for you, and I don’t mean in here. I mean out there. When the time comes, you will know everything for certain out there. I promise.”
Lucy breathed deeply. As Benjamin’s light started to equalize her, she felt a fount of her own light well up from inside. She was no longer scared. The feeling was miraculous and empowering. It seemed almost to come from nowhere. She opened her eyes and felt confidence and strength in every part of her body. She knew, beyond any doubt, that what Benjamin had told her was true, but it wasn’t just the truth of the story, Lucy could feel something else emerge from within
her. Though she didn’t understand at all what it meant, she knew exactly who she was and what her purpose was to be. It was as though it had been spoken to her, but in her own voice; she heard it as plain as day in her heart and in her mind.
Standing back away from Benjamin, she reached down to her side until her hand came to rest on something foreign and cold at her waist. She knew what it was. She couldn’t explain why, but in her hands she felt the handle of a sword—her sword. As she gripped it in its scabbard, it felt like an extension of her body.
Looking up at Benjamin, who was wearing an enormous smile, she said, “I know who I am, Benjamin. I know what my purpose is supposed to be. I know it’s weird, but I just know.”
Benjamin nodded his head. “I think I do, too,” he said, folding his arms with a pleased smile on his face.
“I’m not the queen you’ve been waiting for.”
He nodded again as if to confirm her theory.
She stood still, gripping the handle of her newly acquired sword, the feel of it natural in her hand. Looking into Benjamin’s eyes, she said what she didn’t understand but knew to be true.
“I’m her guardian.”
Benjamin looked down to examine her newly donned weapon. “I believe you are.”
“I don’t understand, though,” she responded hesitantly, afraid that she would disappoint him. “What is a guardian?”
“The guardian of the queen serves as a protector, a sort of bodyguard. The queen needs this guardian as an added protection, because if the queen is somehow killed, the city, like I said before, will lose a great deal of its strength. The king alone can lead, but without the queen at his side, the kingdom is significantly weaker.” He exhaled deeply. “The guardian is the last line of protection between the queen and death, and her bond to the queen is something very special. The guardian will sacrifice everything to protect the queen.”
Looking back up to Benjamin, she saw that he was distressed and seemed tense. “What does all of this mean?”
“It means, Lucy, that what we have been waiting for is almost here. If you are the guardian, then there isn’t any time before we discover the queen.”
Lucy felt perplexed. “Then why do you look upset? Isn’t this what you want?”
Benjamin paced, searching for the right thing to say. Lucy had never seen him so out of sorts. He seemed to be coming unhinged.
She walked over to him and grabbed his hands. “Benjamin, whatever it is, you can tell me. I know I’m not two-thousand years old, but I’ll try to understand, I’ll try to help you.”
Benjamin looked intensely at her. “I know you’ll understand because you’ve understood everything.” He looked around nervously, scanning the woods for the right thing to say.
Lucy tried as hard as she could to force her own light into Benjamin, but it only seemed to make it worse.
“Lucy, I …” He stopped.
“I’m listening. I’m here. Tell me.”
Benjamin looked down at her, and as quickly as he had become nervous, his body relaxed, his breathing subsided, and he was back to being himself.
“What is it?” Lucy insisted.
Benjamin ignored her question and walked to the center of the grove and looked around, then stood and stared at the ground.
“What?” Lucy asked again. “What is it?”
“Nothing,” he replied in his usual, jovial tone. “If you’re the Guardian, we have some work to do.” He looked at Lucy, but she could tell he was hiding something.
“No! You’re not going to just not tell me things. I’m in this now. I know I don’t have the history, and I know that I’m not really one of your people, but this is affecting me, and it all started when I met you, and …” She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, aggravation rising inside her.
“Damn it, Benjamin! You need to tell me everything, or I won’t be able to handle this. It’s already so overwhelming that I can barely contain myself in here, let alone out there,” she gestured again to the sky. “I know that you are scared or nervous or something, so level with me. I … I …” she looked down at the ground.
Say it, Lucy. Tell him. He has to know. Lucy struggled, just thinking the words to herself.
Benjamin, not wavering from his attention, looked as though he was hanging on every word. When she stopped, he was dissatisfied, as though the climax of a great story was building, and the remaining pages were gone.
“You what, Lucy?”
His words were like a net that tried desperately to catch something, anything—not because of the value of the words, but because of the fountain from which they sprang.
Lucy regained her confidence, straightened up, and raised her eyes to meet Benjamin’s.
“I love you, Benjamin. I think I’ve loved you from the first time we touched. I don’t know what that means in here, but for me it’s true out there, too.”
There was silence except for the ambiance of the forest as the two of them let the words sink in. Benjamin took a deep breath, and a look of pain shot across his face as he turned to face away from her.
“What that means, Lucy, is that it’s time for you to find your own haven.”
The words shot like bullets through her heart.
“What?” She said with pained confusion. “I don’t understand; why?”
“It’s complicated. I should never have allowed this to happen.”
Lucy’s heart sank. “Shouldn’t have allowed what to happen? You mean you should never have let me come here?” Lucy charged up to Benjamin and looked him in the eyes. “This has been really weird for me and I admit that it was all selfish in the beginning. I thought I was having romantic dreams about you and I thought you were in love with me, too, at least in here. You’d think I’d be embarrassed, but I’m just … just.”
She searched for the right words. Then, dropping her arms down at her side, she felt the newly adorned sword. She reached down and drew the golden sword that hung at her side and found that just holding it made her feel strong. The blade was made of pure gold, and etched into it, starting near the guard, was a series of intricate designs that looked like tiny vines winding in and out of what looked like white-capped waves. The etching worked its way up the blade, tapering off as it neared the point. Energy that she knew well to be her own light flowed from her body, and she could feel it going into the sword. She was suddenly one with the weapon. It felt as much a part of her as her own arm, and she stepped back and pointed it at Benjamin’s heart.
He exhaled and cautiously placed his hand on the sword’s blade, pushing it down to one side. “Lucy, there is still so much you need to learn, and I don’t think I’m the right person to teach you.”
She raised the sword back up to him, preventing any movement on his part.
“Why? Why can’t you teach me?”
She felt heat and rage. She didn’t want to hurt Benjamin, but she was done just sitting by and putting up with the mystery of everything she had experienced.
“Please just trust me that it will be better with Jack or Peter.”
“What if I don’t want Jack or Peter; what if I want you? I don’t care that you don’t love me, but I want a say in this.” She unconsciously allowed her sword to fall to her side.
Benjamin walked up close. She wasn’t going to disallow it because her body was, in spite of her anger, screaming to be close to him.
“Lucy, I want to; believe me, I want to be the one. But, because of what’s coming, you need my brothers to teach you.”
Lucy dropped her sword fully to her side. The entire situation was getting too difficult, and part of her hoped that it would disappear when she woke up.
“Fine,” she said, making eye-contact again. “If I have to be taught by them, then I want to be taught out there.”
She put her sword back in its scabbard and looked back up at Benjamin. His face was full of sympathy, but he stood firm.
“That can’t happen; not yet.”
“W
hy not?” Lucy questioned angrily.
Benjamin, trying to instill the seriousness of the situation, closed the distance between them once again.
“Because they will come after you.”
The gravity of his tone caused a shiver to shoot up Lucy’s spine and goose bumps to form on her skin.
“Who will come after me?”
Benjamin closed his eyes and took a breath.
“What is it, Benjamin? What aren’t you telling me?”
He opened his eyes. “When we came over tonight, it wasn’t just so Peter could meet you. We came over to see if you were alright.”
Lucy’s concern now outweighed her anger. “What do you mean?”
“Peter’s been following something he felt has been coming for a few months. It’s something he hasn’t felt in a long time.”
He paused and Lucy’s breathing started to speed up.
“A few weeks ago, he followed a group into the southern forests of the state. He said there were only a dozen or so, and he didn’t engage them, but he said they were looking for something and seemed to be stalled in that forest, like they were confused as to where to go or were maybe even afraid.”
“Who did he follow, Benjamin; who was it?”
She could feel the panic rising again, taking place of all other emotions. She knew the answer to the question, it was fairly obvious, but she wanted to hear it from him.
“Reapers.” The word was cold and flat.
Lucy felt herself choke up and she stood. “What does that mean, for us I mean?”
Benjamin grabbed her hands and sat her back down. “Lucy, I just want you to know that there is nothing to worry about. I promise they won’t find us.”
“They won’t find us? Why are they looking? Why do they even exist anymore; I thought they were all dead?”
“Lucy, you’re safe, trust me.”
“Then why did you say that you came to my house tonight to check on me? What was that all about? Why do I need to be checked on?”
Immortal Light: Wide Awake Page 18