Heir of the Elements

by Cesar Gonzalez

  Falcon didn’t dance, but he did share in Sheridan’s joy. He had been extremely worried, thinking that perhaps Hyromi could be seriously hurt, or worse. Now, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  The rest the day was far less eventful. They went into the cabin and rested. Some of the kids came over to thank Falcon for what he’d done. But most of them kept their distance. Falcon couldn’t blame them; he’d probably be acting the same if he’d gone through what they had gone through.

  He had hoped to spend some time with Aya, but she had immediately locked herself in the guest room, along with Faith. He could hear their voices come through the thin wooden doors from time to time. He suspected they were speaking of what had occurred back in Ladria, which honestly saddened him a bit. Weren’t they all supposed to be friends? Why were they ignoring him and leaving him out in the dark? He couldn’t even count on the company of Sheridan. Upon hearing that Hyromi and her father had gone for a walk through the woods, he had taken off to search for them.

  Falcon sighed as he looked out the window. From where he was standing, he could see Zoen sitting cross-legged over on a tree stump. He was chanting with his eyes closed, no doubt putting an enchantment over the area that would render the home invisible to any enemy that came near.

  Restless and tired, he headed off to his room. He opened the long door and slowly stepped into his room. It smelled of musk and wood. He ran his fingers atop the grainy walls. Dust settled on his fingertips. Everything from the tidy bed to the painting of his hero, the Golden Wielder, that hung on the wall to the toy elemental glove on the floor took him back to those years he had spent with his master in the cabin: burning the stew, re-organizing the cabin, building a guest room from the ground up. How could he sleep with such memories of K’ran haunting him?

  He closed the door and headed for the backyard. His stomach lurched as his eyes settled on the pile of rocks where his master lay. Next to it lay another pile of rocks, and above it was a piece of wood that read: ‘Here lies Drogan Kraimaster’. Doctor Solis sure does work fast, he mused.

  “Hello, Master K’ran,” said Falcon as he walked in front of the grimy rocks. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He knew his master was gone and there was no chance he could hear him, but he needed to say something nonetheless. “Things haven’t been going so well since you left us, master. The Suteckh have sacked Ladria. I’ve had some progress controlling the chaos inside me, but am still a long way from having full control.” He sighed deeply. “I wish you were here to give me your guidance. But I have no guide. My father and mother are gone, my brother is gone, and now so are you.” He reached out and felt the cold rocks. Soft green moss had overtaken some of them. “I’m afraid I’m going to need to give in entirely to the chaos. It is the only way I will be able to even stand a chance against Volcseck.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find another way,” said a voice. A hand landed on his shoulder and rubbed sympathetically.

  Falcon breathed heavily. “I don’t see how.”

  Grandmaster Zoen stood beside him. His eyes twinkled with sadness as he stared back at him, and for a split second he could have sworn that Zoen knew better than anyone else the power struggle he was going through. But that couldn’t be true. No one in Va’siel knew what he was going through.

  Zoen gave him a reassuring pat. “A good friend of mine told me that even in the darkest of nights, there is always moonlight to be found.” He stared at the graves with great focus. “So you see, no matter how bleak our situations may be, there is always a light to guide us. It can come in many forms, be it a person, hope, love, or the desire to be the best one can be for the person who has left us behind.”

  “Yes,” challenged Falcon. “But I doubt your friend had to face what I’m facing.”

  “You’re right, he didn’t go through exactly what you did.” Zoen spoke softly, as if he were speaking to a child who didn’t understand, which angered Falcon. He had enough people mocking him. He didn’t need it from the grandmaster as well. “But, on the other hand, you also did not experience his tribulations.”

  “Whatever they were, I’m sure they were nothing special.”

  “You’d be surprised,” said Zoen calmly. “The Golden Wielder faced many challenges in his life, as I’m sure you’re aware of.”

  Falcon’s mouth went dry. Indeed he was aware of just how unjust the legendary wielder’s life had been. But despite these injustices, he had overcome. Could he do the same? Sometimes he thought he could. But every time he allowed himself to hope, something would bring him back down to bitter reality.

  “Grandmaster?” asked Falcon, voicing a question he’d many times wondered. “How come you don’t face Volcseck? The students at Rohad talk about your duel with the Golden Wielder. They say you fought him to a stand-still.”

  A wry smile came over Zoen. “I’m afraid those stories are greatly exaggerated. I was never a match for my good friend. If we ever tied, it was only because he was holding back.”

  “Oh,” mumbled Falcon, feeling disappointed. “Then how come the Golden Wielder never even tried to put an end to Volcseck? Surely he had to know what Volcseck was doing.”

  “The Golden Wielder did attempt to find Volcseck.” He took a long sip of his pipe, puffing out a trio of circles into the air. The air smelled of spiced cinnamon. “Volcseck knew this, so he hid himself from him. Even with the Golden Wielder’s amazing energy-reading abilities, the chaos wielder’s teleportation abilities allowed him to mask his signature very well.”

  Falcon scratched his head, blinking quickly. “He was scared of the Golden Wielder?”

  “You could say that. This is all speculation, of course. But I’m not called the greatest mind wielder of my era for nothing. I’m certain that my deduction is correct.” Zoen gazed at Falcon, his keen eyes full of knowledge. “I suspect Volcseck knew that fighting the Golden Wielder was too much of a gamble. He might have won, but then again, he could have lost. So he opted to simply forego the battle and wait until the Golden Wielder was no longer here.”

  Falcon smiled inwardly. All his life he’d heard nothing how powerful Volcseck was. Many were the stories of his legendary feats: destroying armies, easily demolishing any wielder that got in his way, toppling entire kingdoms. To hear that the chaos wielder actually feared someone felt like a victory in itself. A small victory but better than nothing.

  “But the Golden Wielder did not simply give up once he became clear he wasn’t going to locate Volcseck,” added Zoen. “He laid out a plan.”

  “A plan?” Falcon’s curiosity peaked. This he had to know. “What kind of plan?”

  “A story for another day, perhaps.”

  “But…but,” said Falcon, looking around. “If there’s a plan I think I should know it.”

  “Don’t fret too much about it,” said Zoen. “Ignore the ramblings of an old man.” Zoen tapped his shoulders reassuringly. “You’re a good person. I’m certain that when the time comes, you’ll do what is right and make these men proud.” He motioned at the two piles of rocks before them.

  “These?” asked Falcon, confused. “I could see K’ran being proud, but not Kraimaster.”

  “Why do you say that? Because he yelled at you? Didn’t let you get away with anything? Demanded that you work harder than any other student? Gave you work study for any minor infraction?”

  Falcon nodded. “Yes, that’s pretty much it. He made my life miserable.”

  “Professor Kraimaster knew that you possessed a power unlike any other.” Zoen retained his calm voice. It was so serene that Falcon was afraid the grandmaster would fall asleep in mid-sentence. “He made your life miserable, as you so adequately put it, to prepare you for the tribulations you were destined to face. He would have done you no favors by pampering you.”

  Falcon felt a cold lump of coal in his throat. How could it be?

  Zoen turned and opened the door to head back into the house, but before he went in he stopped and took one last look at
Falcon. “Things in this world are usually gray, not black or white as we would like them to be.”

  Still speechless, Falcon stared at the pile of rocks before him, unsure of how to register this new information. “Th…thank you, professor.” His breath came in quick bursts. He said his goodbye to K’ran and headed back into the home, still reeling from the news he had just gotten.

  ~~~

  Falcon’s ill mood lightened a bit once he opened the door and saw Hyromi staring back at him. Sure, he’d heard she was all right, but seeing her in the flesh made it all more real. She wore her usual tight-fitting blue jumpsuit. Her silky brown hair traveled down her back and ended at her thin waist.

  “Nice to see you back,” welcomed Falcon, taking a step toward her.

  “No!” cried a chorus of voices around him. Falcon stared at the group of people standing in the living room, and that was when he noticed their worried faces. Everyone from Faith, Aya, Emperor Romus, Zoen, and even Doctor Solis wore a mask of sadness. The children he had saved cowered behind a sofa.

  Falcon looked up and saw the thick, sharp icicles encrusted in Hyromi’s fingers. She held them up, as if confused as to how they’d gotten there. She had blood across her waist, probably self-inflicted.

  “Hyromi,” said Aya tentatively. She walked slowly toward her. “I’m a water wielder too. Listen, you have to bring up the heat around your fingers. Or you could hurt yourself again.”

  Hyromi’s eyes darted around in confusion. “Voices in my head! Telling me to…to…to—” She reached for her head, spike first. Aya raised her hand, and in an instant the icicles dissolved into mist of ice. Hyromi’s hands landed on her head, unaware of how close she had come to impaling herself. She beat her fists on her skull. “Get out, get out, get out, get out…”

  Emperor Romus came behind his daughter and grabbed her hands. Through tear-streaked eyes he begged her to stop, but she continued her relentless attack.

  Faith marched up to Hyromi. She waved her hand, and a golden mist covered Hyromi’s face. Faith snapped her fingers. Instantly, Hyromi’s body went limp as she fell into a deep sleep.

  Emperor Romus caught her before she fell. He hugged his daughter tightly, still sobbing.

  Falcon stood in awe, scared for his friend and confused at what was going on.

  Chapter 9

  Hyromi sat in the corner of the living room. She muttered words under her breath as she held herself in a self-hug. “Where is he? He was there, there, there, there, there. I thought I saw him, him, him, him, him, him…”

  A teary eyed Emperor Romus stood over her daughter, speaking softly to her. But he might as well have been invisible. She didn’t pay him any mind.

  “How could this have happened?” asked Falcon. His mind was racing, trying to register what he was seeing. Hyromi had always been a person full of life, bringing a smile to anyone she encountered. Now she seemed trapped inside herself, begging to get out.

  “It be a poison wielder,” said Doctor Solis. “Poison her mind, she did. Nothing my medicine can do to heal her.”

  Falcon gritted his teeth. He should have known. Chonsey had told him that Hyromi had dueled and killed the poison wielder, Dokua. But it looked as though the victory had come at a heavy price. Hyromi’s mind had been twisted beyond any medicine on Va’siel. Wait. That’s it! He faced Faith as hope energized him. “Faith, you can heal her, right?”

  “Yes!” cried Emperor Romus. He took a hasty step toward Faith. “You’re a holy wielder. Surely you can heal my precious daughter.”

  “I…I will try,” said Faith. She glanced at the hunched figure in the corner. “But please don’t get your hopes up. The damage done to her mind might be too great.”

  Emperor Romus grabbed Faith by her shoulders and shook her violently. “No! Don’t say that. You must heal her!”

  Fuming, Falcon took hold of the emperor and tossed him into the wall. “Don’t touch her. This is all your fault!”

  The emperor shook his head, as if unable to believe a simple commoner had dared put his hands on him. “My fault?” he asked, once he got over his shock.

  “Aaaaaaarghhhh! Screams inside!” Hyromi beat her head with her fists. “Get out.”

  The emperor rushed to his daughter, but before he could reach her, Faith got in the way.

  “Get back, please,” she ordered.

  “But—”

  Zoen put his hand on the emperor’s shoulder. “All this screaming is only aggravating your daughter’s condition. I suggest you step back and let the young holy wielder try her method.” The grandmaster faced Falcon. “You too, Mister Hyatt.” Zoen’s suggestion sounded more like an order, and both Falcon and the emperor stepped back and remained quiet, though Falcon still wanted nothing more than to put that pompous fool in his place.

  “Do you think Hemstath can help her?” asked Sheridan as he stood beside Falcon. His usual wide smirk was absent, replaced by a mask of worry. “She can, right? She’s a holy wielder, after all.”

  “I hope so,” muttered Falcon. He felt a deep sorrow for his friend. Sheridan had been smitten with Hyromi for as long as he could remember. He was sure this was hurting him more than he let on.

  Faith took a careful step toward the hunched figure in the corner. Her hand was held out, and a glittering mist flowed out of it and around Hyromi’s head, surrounding her like her own personal solar system. This seemed to calm Hyromi, because she stopped yelling and hitting herself, and instead focused on touching the glow around her. The mist simply dissolved and rearranged itself as she ran her hands through it.

  “Hyromi?” Faith crouched. “I’m Faith Hemstath. I want to help you.”

  The princess looked back at Faith with a look of confusion. “Voice tells me. Can’t find him, can’t find him…”

  “Who are you trying to find?” asked Faith.

  “Can’t find him. Can’t find him.”

  Faith closed her eyes and put her hand on Hyromi’s forehead. To Falcon’s surprise, the princess did not complain. Faith hummed quietly under her breath. After a few minutes, she turned to the emperor as Hyromi returned to playing with the mist.

  Falcon felt his heart drop when she noticed Faith’s saddened expression.

  “I’m sorry. She can’t be fully healed.”

  The emperor, who up until now had looked hopeful, crashed to the floor, looking beyond defeated.

  “I didn’t say all hope was lost,” said Faith, turning back to Hyromi. “I believe I can heal some of the damage that’s been inflicted. However, we’re going to need to go through sessions, at least two times a day for the moment. If she gets better, then we can lower the sessions to once a day.”

  “That mean she’s going to have to come with us,” said Falcon.

  The emperor’s eyes widened at this. “What do you mean by come with us?”

  “I mean exactly what I said. Faith, Aya, and I are headed for Missea. You saw yourself what happened to Ladria. We need to warn them and get them on our side before the Suteckh sack them too.”

  “My daughter isn’t going anywhere with you lot!” Emperor Romus moved toward Hyromi, but she backed away before he had a chance to get too close to her.

  “It is the only way,” said Zoen calmly. “Young Miss Hemstath must stay with Mr. Hyatt. He needs her to complete his holy training. And now…” He turned to the princess. “It looks as if your daughter needs her too.”

  “Then I will go with them,” the emperor quickly added.

  “I’m afraid that can’t be done,” said Zoen politely. “You are needed here to rally your people. Draknorr may be gone, but the Suteckh army is still intact. We must use this moment of confusion to take Ladria back. The people of Ladria need you more than ever.”

  Emperor Romus looked from Zoen to Hyromi. Falcon could tell that he was trying to think of something, anything. Some clever ploy to refute Zoen’s logic and prove that he needed to go with his daughter. But as the seconds trickled by, it became apparent that he had nothing
to counter the grandmaster.

  “Fine,” he mumbled. Then he turned to Falcon, Aya, and Faith. “But you three better take—”

  “Four?” Sheridan chimed in. “I’m going too. On my honor, I will make sure Hyromi is safe.”

  Falcon reeled back a bit. Never in his life had he ever seen Sheridan be so serious.

  “You better.” The emperor took another quick glance around the room and stormed out of the door, making sure to slam the door.

  “Fool,” mumbled Falcon under his breath.

  “Don’t say that,” said Faith, looking offended. “He’s failed his people, and now he thinks he might lose his daughter. It must not be easy being him.”

  “This wouldn’t have happened if he had listened to me when I tried to warn him of the Suteckh threat.”

  “Yes, I know. But nobody is perfect. He made a mistake. We all do, right?”

  Falcon remained quiet. The anger in him wanted him to shout. To say that yes, not everyone was perfect, but what the emperor had done was beyond a mistake, it was pure idiocy. He cared more about parties and noble ranks than the safety of his own people. Staring into Faith’s kind, emerald eyes made it impossible to voice his words though.

  “So what now?” asked Sheridan.

  Faith took Hyromi’s hand and helped her up. “C’mon, sweetie. Come with me.”

  “Where are you taking her?” Aya asked.

  “I’m going to begin the treatments now. The sooner the better.” She opened the door, letting the sun sneak in in even rays of light. “But I’m going to need a few days to get her to a decent state. So no traveling for now at least.”

  Falcon nodded as Faith and Hyromi walked outdoors. Ideally he would leave at once, but Hyromi had been a good friend. How could he now deny her the help she needed?

  During the following days, Falcon settled into the same routine. In the morning he would have breakfast and then head outside and train with Aya by the river. But it was much more than simple water wielding training. Aya had the most focused energy that Falcon had ever seen. Her ability to pinpoint power points was beyond human. If only he could learn to do the same, then perhaps he could retain some control over the elements, instead of relying on them to unlock at random moments.