The Return of the Fifth Stone

by Vincent Todarello

  "Soon you will fly!" she cheered.

  I couldn't help but smile through my pain, but as exciting as it was, so too did it cause me to be fearful. My duties and responsibilities, my mortality, and the war all rushed into my mind, and my smile quickly turned to an expressionless stare of deep concern and thought.

  Just then the hatch door opened, and Patreus returned. Lunaris rushed out to meet him, bringing him to me to show him my back.

  "Well, it’s about time!" he joked.

  "They hurt," I said plainly.

  "That's because they just emerged, and they are beginning to grow," said Lunaris.

  "How long will it take for them to grow out completely?" I asked.

  "I don't know. Perhaps later we can ask one of the Lapisians," Patreus said as he examined my back closely. "I had a long discussion with Bantas about our history.” His mind wandered. “I told him about how Tumain left Alapis to bring the king's message to Ahaareta. He knew of this, but he said that the Lapisians largely disregarded Tumain, believing that all prophecies were irrelevant things of the past. He was intrigued, however, and agreed to allow me to speak with Ernticholok, the eldest Lapisian who is helping Deius. I believe there is some clue within Tumain's message that would help piece together part of the lost Lapisian prophecy. Between this and your newly emerged wings, perhaps there will be enough evidence to convince the Lapisians to aid the groundsmen in the coming war against Scievah." He jumped as if he was reminded of something. From his pack he took out a small jar of salve that Fiama had prepared a few days ago. "Forgive me. My mind was astray with this prophecy business. This will help with the pain and you should be able to get back to sleep."

  Lunaris took the jar and began to rub some of the ointment on my back. It soothed the pain almost instantly. I thanked her and went back to bed.

  The next day Lunaris, Peitus and I stayed at the guest quarters while Fiama went to check in on Deius. She was back before sundown. Patreus met with Ernticholok at the palace from early in the day until late in the night. When he returned, he seemed tired and saddened. He had no luck convincing the Lapisians to help.

  "Our fates are so clearly interwoven," he uttered, frustrated. "Ernticholok recalled Tumain speaking of a young Ahaareti man who would come seeking their help and that Hemela would fight alongside the Lapisians in a battle to conquer evil and reunite the four races in peace. After that, Tumain came to Ahaareta and told us of the Fifth Stone. Can't they see we are all connected?"

  "If it is the time, then it will be. It will happen if the time is right, regardless of what they say now," said Fiama. "We must have faith."

  "I feel I must do something, as if time is running out," Patreus said.

  "Rest now," she said to him. "We are safe, and it’s been a very taxing journey until now. Let your mind rest as well as your body, and things will be more clear."

  Patreus nodded in agreement, and went off to sleep. When he awoke the next day, he gathered us around to tell us of a vision he had in the night.

  "The king spoke to me last night. His words were within me, but I heard them as clearly as you hear me now, as if he were speaking aloud. He said to travel south to the Lapis Mountains and wait for the Divinae to come to us. It is time. The prophecy is finally upon us. Lunaris and Fiama; you two will stay here with Deius, where it is safe. Peitus, Valdren; gather your things. We are off to war. I will try once again to seek aid from the Lapisians. We will leave before nightfall."

  “The Lapis Mountains? Why there? Why would the king have you go to such a place?” she asked incredulously.

  “I know it is dangerous, but I must follow his instructions knowing in my heart that he will look out for me,” said Patreus. She understood his conviction, but hung her head with sorrow.

  After I packed my things, I used the shiny tray to peek at my back again. My wings had grown slightly and no longer hurt. Lunaris came into my room with tears in her eyes. She ran to me, embracing me tight in her arms. Her tears fell on my bare shoulders, warm at first, then cooled by the air as they trickled down my back. I placed my hand on the back of her head, gently running my fingertips through her long brown tresses of beautiful hair.

  "Please don't go!" she begged, whimpering. Her voice was muffled in the crux of my neck.

  "I have to go. It is my destiny," I answered.

  "Promise me you'll come back," she said as she lifted her head and wiped her face on her sleeve. I thought of the prophecy, and how I might not live through the war. I couldn't make the promise, and failing to keep it would only cause her pain. "Promise me!" she squeezed my hands, looking me in the eyes.

  "I can't." I hung my head in sadness. "The prophecy says I will expire." She was puzzled. "I am going to die, and go on to Eterna," I said. “I was afraid to tell you. I didn’t want to make you upset.”

  She sat down on the bed and held her head in her hands, crying. After a moment she looked up at me. "But it can't be. I know in my heart that we will be together."

  "I thought that too, but my duties to Haaret are more important. I can't let my desire for you get in the way of that. This is something we have to sacrifice," I explained. My fear of fulfilling the prophecy was hidden by my falsely confident exterior. She stood up to leave. We looked into each other's eyes longingly and held each other one more time.

  "I love you," she said, planting a gentle kiss on my cheek. I wanted to say it back to her, but I knew if I did she would wait for me, only to be hurt in the end by my passing.

  "Don't wait for me." I said it plainly, harshly. But I meant the exact opposite. She put her head down, looked away sadly and left the room. I begged in my head for her to run back to me, to hold me again, to kiss me, and to wait for me after I left. I hoped against reason that the prophecy was somehow wrong, that I would live on after the war and be with Lunaris for the rest of my days.

  Part of me despised the prophecy, wishing the burden were placed on someone else, resenting the commitment to its fulfillment. I felt robbed of my youth, cheated out of a family, and stripped of my love for Lunaris. "This is all wrong," I thought.

  "Good king please give me the strength to see this through." I moved my lips without speaking, searching for the calm to follow.

  #

  Patreus was not gone long. The Lapisians had once again refused to help or acknowledge the message Patreus received. He seemed crushed by this, but tried to remain hopeful given his vision. The Lapisians did, however, provide us with an escort, Gargaz, to lead us back down to Ahaareta. Patreus and Peitus said their goodbyes to Fiama and Lunaris, and we once again set out on a journey.

  "Soon you will need new clothing," said Gargaz with a grin, noticing the small bumps under my shirt.

  "Yes, I suppose I will," I said.

  "Sometimes they will itch, but that just means they are growing," he warned.

  "How long does it take? When can I use them?" I asked.

  "For us they grow for many cycles, and we can use them after just a few. But for you, I imagine they will mature much faster, given your important role." Patreus looked at him with an odd expression of shock and puzzlement. Gargaz noticed. "Oh yes, groundsman," he said, addressing Patreus. "There are some of us who are indeed concerned with matters below.”

  “Oh?” Patreus responded with hope.

  “Yes. You see, some of us so called immortals have begun to perish. Many say that it could be because some have been corrupted by mortal desires, but I and others know of not one single Lapisian who has succumbed to such impurity. Perhaps the mermen could be corrupted, being so close to the other groundsmen, but not us fliers. We wingmen are too stubborn of creatures to partake in such foolishness.” He chuckled. “No; I know it to be caused by Scievah’s misuse of the power stones. I believe in the lost prophecy, which has largely been forgotten since that menace took the stone of Uhaaretu. You see, the desire for hope and prosperity is not an impure desire. It is one of love. It is righteous.” Patreus became elated, finally finding a sympathetic ear for
our cause. “Tumain said that when the truly pure begin to fall, not by the blade, a young man from Ahaareta will come seeking aid. The Lapisians will follow him to war, restoring peace to Haaret forevermore,” Gargaz added.

  “Is that the lost prophecy?” asked Patreus with awe.

  “Part of it, yes. We committed it to rhyme when Aspina fell into your world long ago,” he answered.

  "Much the same way we do, since our historical texts are forbidden. But Ernticholok dismissed it as irrelevant. How many such Lapisians are you, who believe it is important?" Patreus asked.

  "Many. In fact, I will do everything in my power to see to it that the Lapisians support you in your cause. I will work on Bantas and Ernticholok. Only the stubborn can convince the stubborn of things, you see. I may not be able to rally the troops to war, but I will make it my life's work to get them to support you somehow," said Gargaz.

  "That is inspiring, Gargaz." Patreus was thankful.

  We came upon a hatch in the ground on the outskirts of Akinos. Gargaz opened it to reveal a smooth tunnel of some kind, twisting its way downward.

  "Hop in and slide down. I promise it is more fun than scary," he said.

  Peitus had a look of excitement on his face. Naturally, he was the first to go in. We heard his voice echo with exhilaration all the way down, until it faded with distance. I went next, but before I could jump down, Gargaz grabbed me.

  "Ah, ah. You'd better go face first. Don't want to damage those baby wings now, do we?"

  With a light shove, he pushed me head first down into the tunnel. The wind filled my face as I zoomed downward, all the while turning a hard left as the tunnel spiraled in its descent down to Ahaareta. My stomach seemed to drop, my heart in my throat. I was nearly breathless for the first few moments, until my body adjusted to the sensations. Soon, it was extremely enjoyable. My eyes began to adjust slightly to the darkness, like the way I could see within one of my burrows on the farm. Unlike my vision in the darkness of the Hem'l Canopy, which was darkened as if by magic, I could see the sides of the tunnel rushing by me.

  After a few more moments, I emerged into a circular shaped room on firm ground. The room flickered with the glow of yellow stones that were embedded into the walls.

  Peitus was jumping with excitement. "I must do that again!" he cheered. "That was the single most amazing thing I have ever experienced!"

  I laughed with him, and a moment later Patreus popped out of the tunnel, followed by Gargaz. We were all charged, our hearts pounding with excitement.

  "Everyone come out alright?" Gargaz asked half jokingly. "No one disappeared into the walls this time did they?"

  "We're here!" Peitus replied. "And we want more!"

  "Ha! Young man, if you can labor your way up to Alapis again, I would be glad to take you back down the slide any time. You have my word on that!" Gargaz bounded. "Now, where is that pesky door?" he said as he felt the wooden wall blindly.

  "There," I said, pointing to what looked like a latch on the wall.

  "Thank you. Your Uhaareti traits seem to be developed," he said. With a clunk, the door opened, kicking up dust all around us as the fresh forest air billowed in from outside. "Probably of no use to you out there though, eh?" he continued. I peered out into the darkness.

  "Just like last time. Black as pitch," I said.

  "The ancients weaved a spell of darkness over the land here, to keep us protected from the unsavory characters below," he explained. It was just as I had expected. If it were normal darkness, I would have been able to see in it. "Follow me. I know the way down to the shore, where you will meet with your transport."

  "With whom?" Peitus asked.

  "I've arranged for you to travel south on an Aquidian trading ship. Although the waters can be dangerous, it is safer than risking the way back if Scievah's army is still camped near Al'Adnim," Gargaz answered.

  "Why have the waters become dangerous?" Patreus asked. "I thought they were said to be relatively safe."

  "They were, but not anymore. Pirates," he cautioned. "Thieves. Criminals on the seas."

  “What about the worgs here in Hem'l?” I asked, fearing an encounter with the beasts.

  “Well, if you made it past them last time with two women and an injured man, they should be no problem for us this time, especially now that I am here!” he bragged, humorously.

  “My sister is just as fierce as any man,” Peitus defended her honor before I could.

  “I don’t doubt it! But I joke. The worgs may indeed be near, but generally they stay out of the light, so they may not be this close to the North Scarp,” he reassured.

  “What are they?” I asked.

  “Dark magic, I presume, perhaps from an incantation by the wizards who have abused the stones' powers to manipulate the spirit and will of both men and animal,” he said.

  “Are they, were they, men?” I asked.

  “They are more beast than man. For every one part man they are perhaps ten parts beast. They are a menace. They began showing up soon after Scievah began toying with the stones' powers,” Gargaz explained.

  I thought of Hadut, how he was more man than beast now. Exposure to the dark item on his neck revealed his true form more and more with time, morphing him into what he truly was. A beast. A rat. A betrayer of good. I thought of the ogre in the desert too, and then it rang true; impurity changes man to beast.

  The area brightened around us, and we did not see or hear the worgs. We came to the edge of Hem'l, and we descended an overgrown stone stairway down a sharp scarp from the forest above. Soon our feet sloshed upon a wet gravel beach. The undulating sound of waves rolling in, crashing and receding, calmed us, despite being among some of the roughest nature we had encountered so far. Beyond the soothing sound of the sea, there was a feeling of tension; a barely noticed vibration that gave me a small sense of the untamed, wild realm that was before us. Not even Tillius had explored the vast, unknown sea, I thought.

  A ship waited for us a short distance from the shore, and three toughened Aquidians stood beside a small paddle boat. The lower parts of their tails were still submerged in water, but their fins were proudly held up, of course. The salty spray of cool sea air bathed our faces. Our skin felt tightened, as if dried out, despite being coated with dampness.

  Gargaz trotted in the direction of the Aquidians, flapping his wings between strides, so that he covered a huge distance each time his foot hit the ground. It looked as if he were a dandelion wisp bouncing swiftly across a windswept field. He tucked his wings and his strides became shorter and more frequent as he came to a jogging stop. He walked to the water to greet the Aquidians. After a moment, he turned back to us and motioned for us to come over.

  "These men will take you out to the ship, and there you will meet the captain, Agimus. He is a good friend of mine, so don't bust his chops too much, eh?" he said with a pat on Peitus' back. The Aquidians gave a hearty chuckle, showing a sense of humor that cut through their rough exteriors.

  "Gargaz. Please look after my boy in the palace," Patreus pleaded.

  "It would be my honor," he said as he bid farewell to us.

  We paddled out over the break and pulled up beside the ship. There was some strange writing on the side of the boat, Aquidian written language, I presumed. Two eyes were painted in the front of the boat, close together on either side of the hull. My mind wandered to the difficulties of how Aquidians wrote or painted anything being underwater all the time.

  A long cargo net was lowered over the side of the ship for us to climb up to the deck. Once we began climbing, some shipmates hoisted the paddle boat up onto the deck. The three Aquidians used only their arms to climb the cargo net after us. I couldn't imagine climbing that without the aid of my feet as well as my hands. They must have been very strong.

  "Greetings, mates!" A gruff sounding Agimus slithered toward us, his words obstructed by a large bone colored pipe that hung from his mouth. He extended a welcoming webbed hand to us. "Patreus, Peitus, and Va
ldren; have I guessed right?" He squawked and pointed correctly at each of us in turn.

  "Indeed you have Agimus," Patreus responded, shaking his hand. "Why, that is a marvelous pipe!" he noticed. It was ornately carved with what looked like a sea dragon of some kind, similar to the serpent that attacked me in the Chasm Pools. A thick cloud of smoke hung in the air around Agimus, despite the winds out on the water.

  "Thank ye. It’s made of hardened bees wax. It helps to sweeten up the rugged taste of the sea leaf we smoke out here," he explained.

  "Sea leaf?" questioned Patreus.

  "Aye. The stuff's collected from along the Loulan cliffs and deep down in the sea, then it’s dried upon the salty decks of ships, so it can be a bit rough around the edges. Like us, I suppose!" He laughed.

  Patreus grabbed the pipe out of his pack. "Mind if I enjoy a pipe with you?" he asked.

  "Here ya are," he said, handing Patreus a wad of dried sea leaf. Patreus filled his pipe and lit it with some flint. He puffed away vigorously until it remained smoldering and smoking. His face cringed upon tasting the foul leaf. Agimus let out a loud, hysterical laugh that bounced and echoed off the nearby cliff walls. "An acquired taste, I suppose?" Patreus smirked.

  "Yes. Yes indeed." Agimus laughed. "Here. I have a spare. Try it in this." He handed Patreus a short, misshapen beeswax pipe. "It will mask the briny flavor and sweeten it, but eventually, you will learn to love the sea leaf and even enjoy the flavor of the sea."

  "May I try?" I asked.

  "Sure," Patreus said, cautiously handing me the beeswax pipe after he lit it.

  I took a deep puff and instantly coughed a wretched cloud of muck from my mouth. I thought I was about to vomit. The entire crew laughed at me, including Peitus and Patreus. I began to laugh as well.