The Return of the Fifth Stone

by Vincent Todarello

  “Get down,” Patreus ordered. “We must hide. They’re here.”

  “My tunnel!” I exclaimed. “We can hide there.”

  “Show us the way,” Patreus fired quickly with a nod. “Reyne?”

  He looked to my mother to join us. She nodded her head in agreement and followed us. I quietly led them out the back window in my bedroom and then under a bramble bush into my tunnel. But I turned to see that my mother had tricked us. She moved some brush over the entrance behind us and went back into the cabin. I began to call for her, but Patreus swiftly covered my mouth with his hand.

  “Shh. We must keep quiet,” he whispered.

  I scurried back to the entrance to get my mother, pulling Patreus' hand from my face.

  “No, Valdren. It’s too late,” he said as he grabbed my ankle.

  “But—”

  “No buts. Come here and be silent,” he commanded with parental authority. “She is protecting you.”

  I joined Patreus under the sitting room floorboards. I began to panic and weep, yet I tried to remain as quiet as possible. The soldiers approached and burst into the sitting room, shattering the front door into scattered splinters of pinestar wood. I heard my mother struggling and I peeked up into the cracks to see what was happening. She fought them bravely for a few moments, flailing and kicking with vigor, but they easily overpowered her, and would have done the same to us if we tried to help.

  I heard the sound of ripping fabric. Patreus’ head fell at this, and he pressed his forehead against a clenched fist. His lips moved as if he was speaking to someone, but no words escaped his mouth. Furniture broke, glass shattered, and my mother yelped and gasped. I looked away as I heard the brutal sounds from above, but my eyes caught a glimpse of something odd; it was my mother's back. I had never seen her without clothing. I soon realized that the ridges on her shoulders were in fact wings!

  “Just like we suspected,” grunted one of the soldiers.

  “Take her away. Search the farm,” commanded another.

  They scattered from the cabin, and I heard my mother’s voice as they dragged her out the door. Cries mixed with screams, whimpering and struggling. Every fiber of her being resisted them, but she was powerless. If she could just break free for a moment, I thought, maybe she could fly away.

  I became furious. My blood boiled with rage and I darted toward the tunnel entrance on all fours, ready to fight whoever I saw. Patreus quickly grabbed me and held me down, once again covering my mouth with his hand.

  A soldier approached the brush near the opening. His heavy, metal-clanging footsteps slowed to a stop as he moved in front of the burrow. It was covered with a thick lattice of branches, but I could see the twiggy silhouette of his legs against the low setting sun beyond. He probed the area. He was bound to find us.

  Patreus slowly and silently unsheathed a small scabbard blade he had strapped to his side. My heart quickened. My pulse was like a drumbeat, pounding so loud within me I thought the soldier could hear it as it thumped in my chest. He was so close I could reach out and touch his boot through the bramble. The soldier began to bend down, reaching his hand out to clear away the loose brush in front of the tunnel. His fingers wrapped around some of the leaves and twigs when suddenly a voice called out.

  “Let’s go. Nothing else here,” said one of his comrades.

  The soldier removed his hands from the bush and walked away from the tunnel. We were safe, but my mother was not. I heard her struggling, crying and fighting the entire way up the gravel path as the soldiers left. Her voice tore at my heart as it faded in the distance, and my emotions became muddled and confused with sadness and anger.

  When Patreus finally released me I ran out screaming, tears streaming from my eyes. The soldiers were long gone and could not see or hear me.

  “They’ve taken everything from me!” I exclaimed.

  “There is much to learn,” Patreus said between weighted breaths. “You will stay hidden with me until the time is right to fight back. We must be very cautious, all of us. No doubt the soldiers saw your things and will be on the lookout for you as well.”

  “They’ve taken everything!” The longing fire of revenge burned deep within me as I shouted, paying no attention to Patreus.

  Patreus put his arm around my shoulder and turned me to face him, although my eyes were fixed on the path. He tried to calm me, yet his own skin still rattled with fury.

  “They’ve taken much, Valdren.” He consoled me, taking my hands into his and forcing me to look into his eyes. “But they haven’t taken everything.”

  CHAPTER 2

  I became familiar with the smell of dust, dirt, and musty damp earth. I often woke with the animals, hearing them cluck and bray in the stables and coops above, near the barn. Sometimes it was the only way I knew what time of day it was. For quite some time I remained hidden there, in the cavern I burrowed beneath Patreus’ barn. Deius, Fiama, Lunaris and Peitus brought me food and water, and hides and blankets for warmth on cold nights. They kept me company some days, but, for fear that I would be found, they did not visit me as much as I would have liked. Patreus was busy making sure I was safe and kept a secret. He was in regular contact with messengers for information about my mother and father. The soldiers returned to my farm many times and searched for me. They even questioned Patreus and his family and searched his home.

  It seemed I was there for an eternity. I hoped to dream of the soothing winged figure again to ease my worries, but she did not appear. Much time had passed, and the seasons had changed, when Patreus came to me very late one night. The moons were dark. He was dressed in all black, and he covered me with a black robe.

  “We must be quick. Follow closely behind me and be silent,” he commanded with urgency as we left the barn.

  We moved methodically toward his home in zigzag patterns to deliberate locations around the farm; behind bales of hay straw, along a row of buckleberry bushes, and onward toward the cabin. When we entered, he motioned for me to remain silent. It was late; everyone was asleep.

  “I’m sorry to have left you there for so long,” he whispered as we moved into his sitting room. “Some time has passed now, and I think it is safe to assume the soldiers have stopped their routine searches. You can stay here in the cabin now, but you must stay clear of the windows and refrain from going outside. The scouts of the corrupt may still secretly have their eyes upon us.”

  He raised his eyebrows and his expression calmed. He looked upon me with pity. We sat on his hide-skinned furniture and caught the breath that had escaped us in the run from the barn.

  “Valdren, there is much you don’t know,” he began.

  “Are my parents okay? Tell me about them.”

  “Your parents are both alive and well. As well as they can be, being locked up in prison. Before I can tell you about your parents, particularly your father, I must first tell you some things about the ancient times to give you some reference. Do you know about the four stones and the Divinae?” he asked.

  “I don’t think so. I mean, I know something of the stones, but not much.”

  “The king made four power stones or life stones, representing each of the four elements that make up Haaret; earth, air, fire and water. He placed one in each realm. In Ahaareta he placed the Earthstone, in Alapis the Airstone, in Uhaaretu the Firestone, and in Aqos the Waterstone. The stones help keep Haaret alive and they generate the Bountiful Gifts that we find all around us; food, water, warmth, life. Without the stones, Haaret would be unbalanced and unstable, and we would all soon die. The king placed the stones upon altars in their respective realms and sent four Divinae; one to protect and guard each stone.”

  “What is a Divinae?”

  “A Divinae is a very special being. They were magical and had incredible powers which they used to defend and protect the stones. The four sent to Haaret were instructed not to leave the altars, ever.”

  “What is an altar?”

  “There were four of them, o
ne for each stone. The altars were sacred places where the king housed the power stones. They were set within majestic architectural structures, like a palace, only no one lived there except for the one Divinae that guarded it. Inside there was a special pillar where the stone sat; that was the altar.

  “The king asked the Divinae to make sure no one touched the stones, as they needed to remain isolated to sustain the Bountiful Gifts. But he also sent a fifth Divinae, Scievah, to watch over the Haareti people. Unlike the other Divinae, however, Scievah was powerless, because he did not have a duty to protect the stones. He was only sent to oversee the Haareti and report to the king about how the Haareti were running the kingdom.

  “But Scievah became jealous and desired the powers that the other Divinae had. More, he wanted to rule Haaret. He thought he could use the stones to gain powers and control the Haareti, rather than just watch over them for the king. You see, just a touch of the stones could make someone very powerful.”

  “Is it bad to touch the stones?”

  “Yes, Valdren. The power of the stones wielded through anyone would only cause destruction in the end, for their powers are reversed when channeled through the living; bounty turns to scarcity, creation to destruction, life to death, good to evil.

  “Scievah touched the Firestone after deceiving Gelande, the Divinae who watched over the Firestone in Uhaaretu. He then became very powerful. With his powers, Scievah seduced many Ahaareti into desiring the powers of the stones as he did. This caused a split among the Haareti; those who wanted to use the stones to obtain their powers and those who did not. Eventually this lead to cycles of warring, the Firestone Wars.

  “Just before the final battle in the Firestone Wars the four Divinae set out to hide the stones. Three stones were hidden but Scievah tracked down the fourth, the Firestone, and battled Gelande before he could hide it. Scievah defeated Gelande, stole the Firestone and banished the four Divinae back to Eterna; back to the realm of spirits.

  “He proclaimed himself king of Haaret and went to Uhaaretu with the stone to tempt the Uhaareti with its powers. Now most of the Ahaareti and nearly all of the Uhaareti are corrupted, or impure, and want to use the stones' powers. The pure, like us, know that the stones cannot be used for good, and wish to see the Firestone returned to its altar.”

  “But what does that have to do with my father?”

  “I’m getting there, Valdren. I know this is a lot to take in all at once, but it will all make sense, I promise you.”

  Just then, there was a scuffle at the rear of the cabin outside the sitting room window. Patreus drew the small blade he kept in the sheath along his hip, and motioned for me to be quiet and stay low to the ground. He crept toward the window, peeked out and then silently moved toward the back door, which began to open as he approached.

  An intruder was trying to sneak in! My heart was in my throat. My face was flushed with heat, yet frozen in fear, expressionless. Then, without warning, Patreus flung the door open and leapt at the intruder. They both fell to the floor with a thud. Patreus moved like a seasoned and trained fighter, jostling and rolling for dominant positioning. The intruder was a well built and agile man, and I wondered how Patreus was able to overpower him, a man even bigger than my father. There was a struggle for a moment, then silence.

  “Were you followed?” Patreus whispered.

  “Of course not. I do the following,” replied the strange intruder with pride and a slight accent. I had heard the gruff, choppy annunciations before, mimicked by Deius when playing the role of the Uhaareti in our battle games.

  “You weren’t so stealthy this time. I heard you outside.” Patreus playfully chided him, and there was laughter between them.

  “If I wanted, Patreus, I could live amongst your family for days without being noticed,” the stranger retorted.

  “Yes but eventually all of the grubworms on the farm would go missing and we’d know there was an Uhaareti in our presence.”

  The two men erupted heartily for a moment and then silenced each other, still laughing but trying to stay quiet.

  “Valdren, this is Felgor. He is our messenger, one of our own scouts and a master of deception.”

  I was entranced looking at him. I had never seen an Uhaareti before. He was somewhat taller than I expected, even in his hunched countenance. His eyes were black as night, his nose and mouth pushed slightly forward like a mole, and his skin was darkened like the color of smoke. As I studied him I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind.

  “You eat grubworms?”

  Both men roared heartily again, and they again silenced each other while quietly laughing. I could see that there was a long standing camaraderie between them. They were close friends.

  “The Uhaareti are known to snack upon the dirt worm when dwelling topside for extended periods of time. It reminds them of being home, I suppose,” explained Patreus. The two men chuckled again.

  “Home?” I asked.

  “Deep under the ground there are grubworms of massive proportions. When you season and grill the meat just right, it tastes better than prime vacsteer.” Felgor taunted Patreus while confidently strutting toward me and looking me dead in the eyes, as if peering through me with his dark misty gaze. I was frightened for a moment, knowing that Deius and Lunaris always portrayed the Uhaareti as forces of evil in our games. But then Felgor formally greeted me, placing both of his hardened hands around mine. The gesture meant he committed himself to me fully, with both working hands. Deius once told me that in ancient times soldiers greeted their superiors that way, to show they would fight diligently for their cause with all of their bodily power.

  “Ha!” retorted Patreus. “Filthy meat. Nothing tops a piece of tender, rare, juicy vacsteer.”

  “It’s good to finally meet you,” Felgor said to me.

  “You know who I am?” I asked.

  “Of course! I’ve been watching you your whole life,” he explained.

  I wondered why I deserved such attention, but my primary thoughts went right back to my mother and father. “Do you bring news of my parents?”

  Felgor placed a warm and compassionate hand gently on my shoulder. “Not this time, my boy,” he said, saddened. His eyes wandered to my neck, and then he stretched around to look at my back. “Not yet,” he mumbled to himself. “But I do bring news of some kind,” he announced. “You continue to be watched. There is a scout in the wood. I thought you should know for Valdren’s protection. He has set up a camp not far from here. I will show you, but we must be careful.”

  #

  Patreus and I put our black cloaks back on and the three of us ventured out into the night. Felgor wore a black tunic that clung closely to his body. He moved silently and almost invisibly. He was light on his feet and seemed to instinctively avoid stepping on twigs or dried leaves. He is a tracker’s nightmare, I thought, as I reflected on some of the things my father taught me in the woods.

  Patreus and I followed behind him as quietly as possible. I mimicked Felgor’s steps and found myself moving almost as silently as he did. If it weren’t for my loosely fitting cloak I may have moved with Felgor’s stealth. Patreus made a bit more noise, and Felgor noticed.

  “Shift your weight off of your heels and onto your toes, Patreus,” he explained, pointing to my feet, “like Valdren and I.” He shot me a mischievous glance.

  Patreus did his best to mimic our movements. Then Felgor moved forward with double the speed and half the noise, as if to scout ahead for us, his clumsy counterparts. He disappeared, blending into the woods. We continued blindly in his direction, until he popped out from behind a tree, startling us.

  “This way,” he motioned. “Follow quietly.” He led the way for us, and we were off in a different direction. After a few moments I saw a faint glow up ahead in the woods.

  “Look,” I pointed, “up ahead.”

  “That is his camp,” Felgor affirmed. “You see and move like an Uhaareti,” he commented with a proud smile.

/>   “He has much of his father’s traits,” answered Patreus.

  “But my father’s not...”

  “Shh.” Felgor quieted me. “He is away from his camp. Listen,” he whispered.

  We stood still, our ears sharpened to the sounds of the night. Among the gentle rustling breeze I heard the faint fall of footsteps crunching leaves in the distance. Suddenly the questions I had about my father’s Uhaareti-like traits vanished and my skin goose pimpled with fear.

  “Do you hear?” Felgor asked.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  “I do not,” said Patreus.

  Felgor began to track the footsteps. “Stay here. Don’t move,” he commanded.

  He went off silently into the night. The footsteps stopped for a few moments and then seemed to move toward the glow of the camp ahead. Within moments of their fading Felgor returned to us.

  “He was trailing a hare. He must have thought it was an intruder because he was armed and his camp is already stocked with ample food supplies,” Felgor reported, producing two bits of jerky from within his tunic. He handed them to Patreus and me.

  Patreus laughed quietly. “From his camp?”

  Felgor shook his head, clearly disappointed with Patreus. “From his pocket,” he corrected. My mouth dropped open with amazement. Felgor noticed and smirked. “I’m just kidding, Valdren. I’m not invisible you know,” he said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

  “Could have fooled me,” defended Patreus.

  “Come, let’s get a better look at him,” Felgor suggested.

  Felgor motioned for us to follow him once again. When we were within eyesight of the scout we quietly climbed a barren ash, a leafless and sturdy tree that sparsely inhabited these woods. There was no foliage to rustle and give away our position. We were silent as we watched the scout. The only sounds around us were the crackle of the campfire, the rustle of nearby tree leaves, and the distant babble of the Kypher Creek, a small tributary of the Tillian River where my father taught me to fish and where we regularly fetched fresh water for use on the farm.