“Patreus, why does the king let bad things happen to good people?” I asked.
“Well, my boy that is a good question. You must have been itching to ask that since you heard Thomgren say it in anger back in Kal’Adria.”
“Yes,” I said with a smile.
“I’ve never met a more inquisitive lad in all my days.”
“I apologize.”
“That is a compliment. The question is flawed,” he said, eagerly returning to the subject. "Thomgren knew it. I simply reminded him when I whispered into his ear.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Why do bad things happen to good people? It assumes that we can truly be good. To be good, in the ultimate sense of the word, one must also be pure,” he explained. “And since none of us are truly pure, then none of us are truly good. As such the king owes us no duty to shield us from bad things.”
“But isn’t that unjust and unloving to those who try to live a pure life?” I pried.
“Not in the least bit. You see, it would be perfectly just for the king to ignore us altogether, even actively punish us, as none of us truly obey his laws and follow the old ways. At best we can only try, often times with abyssal failures. The king's ancient magic took away our gift of eternal life as the consequence of imputiry. Ver’Deiro came to give it back to us,” Patreus explained.
“How?” I asked.
“Ver’Deiro told the king he would bind himself to the impure, offering to give up his own gifts if the king would allow those who strive for pureness a chance to regain theirs. He wanted to share his gift with us,” he said.
“What about the truly pure Aquidians or Lapisians? Can bad things happen to them?” I continued.
“They can surely die here, in a physical sense, on Haaret, but they will still be granted eternal life. Your mother too, even though she gave up her gift when she married someone who was not truly pure. In that sense nothing bad ultimately happens to them. It is said that the mind of a truly pure Haareti is much more at peace with life and death, as they understand the concepts on a higher level of reasoning. In other words, physical death to them is not actual death. It is just another step in the process of eternal life," he said. "Those of us who strive to live in pureness also hope to be granted eternal life.”
“And go to Eterna when they die here on Haaret?” I asked.
“Yes. That is Ver'Deiro's promise,” he said.
“What about the other Haareti who tried to live a pure life before Ver’Deiro? Or children and babies who have not yet decided, or those without the smarts to make such decisions?” I asked.
“The king is just. I am sure that he has a place for them in Eterna. You show much compassion Valdren. The king is compassionate too. I have faith that those you mentioned would not feel the void of the Sepulcre,” he added.
“What is the Sepulcre?” I pressed.
“It is a realm with no king. A dangerous place. Damned.” He paused in thought.
“Allewyn and I are going to be married!” Peitus ran to us and shattered the somber mood of our conversation with the news. Patreus’ mouth dropped open with astonished happiness. “Well aren’t you going to congratulate us?” Peitus asked after a moment.
With a hearty laugh Patreus embraced his son with a warm, rocking hug. “Your mother will be pleased!” He cheered. “After our journey, after the war, we will have a grand celebration and feast at our farm, and welcome Allewyn to our family.” He spoke with joy in his heart.
“Yes, about that, we wish to be married right away,” Peitus lamented.
Patreus lifted his brow. “Oh? Why the rush?”
“The boy cannot wait to make a child, and who can blame him?” Gerron joked as he walked over, picking up on the news. "She is a real beauty," he added, bringing a broad smile to Peitus’ face.
“Well, the war could last a full cycle for all we know. Even a lifetime. And there is no guarantee I will survive to its end. After discussing it, Allewyn and I decided we should cherish the time we have together, now,” Peitus explained.
“Fair enough,” Patreus conceded. “But you will have to answer to your mother when you see her!” He laughed.
“I have the necessary authority to marry you. It would be official.” Gerron was enthusiastic.
“Excellent! Tomorrow we shall take a day to relax, hunt and gather as much food as we can for a proper wedding feast, and Gerron shall wed you two in the evening.” Patreus cheered.
Patreus turned to the others with us and began to explain. Everyone was relieved that there would be some down time, and hopeful at the prospect of finding food in the morning.
#
Peitus’ love for Allewyn caused me to fix my thoughts upon Lunaris. The thought of not seeing her gentle smile or the beautiful tresses of her hair for a full cycle saddened me. And what if I died according to the prophecy and never had a chance to see her again or tell her that I loved her? I began to fear that almost as much as I feared the prophecy itself. The enormity of our journey had hit me; a war that could last a lifetime. How old would I be at its end? Would I even live to see it? I immediately regretted everything I said to Lunaris before I left her in Alapis.
I wanted to scream out “Yes! Wait for me!” The blissful thought of one more embrace with her tore at my heart and I longed for her. Perhaps if I saw her again she would still feel the same way for me, and we could be together for whatever amount of time we had – just like Peitus and Allewyn. I resolved that if I ever saw Lunaris again I would ask her to marry me. Although we were young, we were only a cycle or two behind Peitus, and both of us were adults now.
The next morning was warmer than the previous few days. At first light several of us went out hunting in search of food. Gerron had thoughtfully carried some bows and arrows with him, and he passed them out for us to use instead of slings or rocks. We hoped to catch a rabbit or perhaps a wild fowl large enough to feed the group to a hearty fill. We spent much time on the hunt without luck, and soon we had to return to camp empty handed. Some of the others found wildflowers and berries to eat, but there was barely enough even for one person to eat a proper portioned meal.
“What sort of king would have his people march into a death trap? I ask you Patreus, what kind of king would do such a sadistic thing to test the loyalty of his subjects?” a frustrated Thomgren blurted as people cleared an area for the ceremony. “You are a fraud!”
“You are a bitter man, Thomgren. You know not what you speak of. You have lost your family, and I grieve with you in that. But please, do not shake at the foundations of our faith. You will only be left shattered. You are throwing glass against a stone wall,” cautioned Patreus.
“Everyone knows the Lapis Mountains are doomed. Haunted. Those who pass beyond the wall do not return!” he shouted. “We all know the stories.” A chill ran up my spine. I wasn’t aware of such frightful tales.
“If they are true, Thomgren, then it would make sense that the Divinae enter through the Sepulcre, where the very fabric of the realms is torn and allows for passage between them,” reasoned Patreus.
“It is a death trap!” Thomgren looked around at the others, convincing some of them who nodded in agreement.
“Not when an angel guides you through it. The Divinae are impervious to such things,” said Patreus.
“Well, we’re not. And what if there is no angel? What if you can’t find him?” Thomgren asked.
“Trust in the king,” Patreus answered.
“Trust is earned, and the king has squandered my trust in him,” Thomgren protested.
“Then I pray that you will someday see things differently,” Patreus responded.
“Don’t bother,” Thomgren snapped. Then there was silence. Thomgren had lost hope. I hoped that reason wasn’t the next thing to go. He had a heat behind his eyes that fixed to spread like fire across the dry prairie.
Tensions died down after a while, and preparations continued, along with my thoughts and fears about what was
ahead of us in our journey. It seemed we had escaped one threat only to be purposely heading toward another one in the Lapis Mountains.
Later, we gathered around Peitus and Allewyn for the wedding ceremony. Gerron began to recite the words often used when uniting people in marriage. “Here stand two, who will embrace and become one before the king. May he bestow all of life’s gifts and splendors upon you, and may your children grow strong and pure.” After a few more words he commanded them to embrace. He then wrapped a long ornate cloth around their shoulders as they did so. Peitus and Allewyn kissed, and then turned toward Gerron. The others began to lightly applaud, and Gerron spoke, “You are now married, husband and wife, joined together as one.” The cheers grew louder, everyone using what little energy they had left to show that they were happy.
Then, to my surprise, one by one everyone approached Peitus and Allewyn and gave them some rations. They gave, as gifts, the berries they had saved, small chunks of bread, and wildflowers from along the trip. Peitus and Allewyn tried to refuse, but none would let them return the food. They each would have a meal for their special occasion.
I rustled through my pack. I knew I had some leftover bread from my rations that could feed one or two people. This was the last of my supplies. Knowing Peitus and Allewyn would eat tonight, I wanted to pass my share out to someone who was especially in need. I wanted badly for everyone to have food, and for some strange reason I was not hungry.
An older woman that looked especially tired and weak was struggling just to keep a smile on her face throughout the wedding ceremony. I went to her and offered her my bread. Her eyes filled with tears and she looked up at me from the small boulder where she was sitting. “Bless you,” she said, as she tore a piece of bread from my ration, smiling up at me.
When I looked down it seemed as if no bread were torn from my ration. I quickly looked back at the woman. She seemed to be eating from a full sized ration! I was confused, but I continued to the next person, an elderly man. Then it happened again. The man tore a piece of bread away but my ration stayed the same size.
I looked over to Patreus with puzzlement in my eyes. He scurried over to me, still overjoyed at his son’s marriage. “What is it?” he asked.
“Tear a piece of bread for yourself,” I said.
“No, my boy. Keep it for yourself, I am fine.” His altruism beamed.
“Take a piece. I want to show you something,” I insisted.
“Very well,” he said, and tore the bread in half.
We both looked down at the bread in my hand; it seemed to slowly grow back to its full size right before our eyes.
“Thomgren!” Patreus called. “Everyone! Come! See for yourself the evidence that the Fifth Stone is among us.” When everyone gathered, Patreus commanded Thomgren to take a piece of my ration for himself. “Now, watch the bread in Valdren’s hand,” Patreus instructed as Thomgren tore the bread.
The others gasped in awe as the bread slowly reformed to its original size. “It’s a miracle!” someone murmured.
“Indeed it is,” Patreus verified. “Now you see why I have such convictions about this boy. About this journey.” Patreus seized the opportunity to convince others of our purpose. “The source of this power, of this magic, is either the stone or the king himself. For it to be wielded in such a way for good, for health, rather than for destruction and death, is divine. Mere man is not capable of such benevolence.”
Thomgren nodded in insincere agreement. I thought this would invigorate his spirits and keep him pressing on, but I feared he was too far gone. He viewed it as some kind of tavern trick, as if I had food hidden up my sleeve. I was saddened by this. Not because he did not believe in me or the prophecy, but because he had such a hopeless demeanor. He remained unconvinced.
“Please everyone, eat,” I urged them.
“You’ve given all you had to my son so that he and his bride may enjoy a meal on their wedding day, and now king and stone have provided for you in return.” Patreus smiled broadly at the others.
“This is a validation,” said Gerron. “Tomorrow we will reach the foot of the mountains. There we shall set up a camp that will be permanent. We will begin a settlement named in honor of the boy; Valdren. Those of you who cannot fight will stay there and continue building while we go off to war with the Divinae.”
Evening was fast upon us. Peitus and Allewyn soon retreated to their tent to be alone. The rest of us, with full bellies, would sleep well and be rested for the morning.
CHAPTER 18
As we traveled the next day, the terrain became softer under our feet, and the tall golden-brown prairie reeds became a green grass that only reached our ankles. Soon we came upon an ancient stone wall that was the height of several men. The wall seemed to have been hurriedly assembled with stacked ledgestone and a crude mortar. It was durable, but certainly not a beacon of craftsmanship.
“We shall start over again. Rebuild. Although we are close to danger being near the Lapis Mountains, it also serves as a defense for us since most Haareti, including the corrupted, fear it enough to keep away from the area. This wall is sound. It is ancient and has withstood the test of time. It has created a barrier to evil for hundreds of cycles. We should build a wall around the town that connects to this wall and looks to be a part of it, so that those who happen by it are none the wiser.” Patreus instructed. “There is much work to do. For now, let us assemble our tents, become familiar with the area, and search for food or a spring for drinking water.”
The others busied themselves according to Patreus’ orders, but Peitus, Gerron, Patreus, Agimus and I gathered to discuss our plan.
“My instructions were to go to the Sepulcre to meet the Divinae. None of you should feel obligated to come with me, but I certainly won’t refuse the company,” Patreus said.
“I will go with you.” Peitus was first to speak up. “We all will, yes?” He looked around at us.
“Yes, of course.” Gerron and Agimus agreed.
“Yes,” I added.
"You've just become a real man, now that you've got yer bride, and yer goin' ta march out into danger boy?" Agimus squawked at Peitus in disbelief. "I wouldn't leave me tent if I were you, not with a looker like that by me side."
“Your bravery is unmatched,” Patreus said to Peitus. “But I will be doing this every day for as long as needed until I make contact with the Divinae.” He looked around at all of us as he explained. “Are you all still interested?”
“Yes,” we answered in unison.
“Then gather your weapons. We are going over the wall.”
We climbed up and over the wall as one would scale a ladder. The stonework was crude and sloppy, and created ledges that allowed for a good footing. When we were on the other side, the land looked very much the same. In the distance, we could see the vague shape of the Lapis Mountains. As we drew nearer, it seemed to become more obscured, less defined, and blanketed in haze.
As we walked toward the shrouded mountain we came upon a low hanging fog. It began abruptly, and varied in thickness as we went through it. It was abnormally dark and seemed almost unnatural. It was not like the white fog that gently rolled in over the hills near our farm in the morning before the sun burned it away. It was stagnant, immune to the wind and sun, and black like soot and ash. The ground under our feet was no longer green grass; it was not even the yellowed stale color of dry grass. It was a dull grey. The earth was dead, perhaps beyond dead. It was worse than the desert we crossed in our earlier travels. It seemed irreparable.
“This is no ordinary fog,” I remarked.
“It is where the realm was torn. The fog is even more dense further up the mountain,” Gerron explained.
“I don’t understand. How does a realm tear like parchment paper?” I asked.
“When the king created the spirit realms, Eterna and the Sepulcre, he separated them with an ancient magic so that those in them could not travel back to the four realms of Haaret,” Gerron continued. “The po
wer stones helped keep these barriers up. When Scievah took the stone and Alapis crumbled, he tore a hole between the Sepulcre and Haaret. Now, those who dwell in the Sepulcre can enter our realm. The fog is part of the Sepulcre that has spilled through. Within this fog lies unspeakable horrors; horrors that were meant to be contained behind the king’s ancient barriers between the physical and the metaphysical; barriers between the living and the dead.
“Those souls not permitted into Eterna lie within the Sepulcre. They are called the Draugr. There are no laws, no consequences, no right or wrong, no semblance of truth or justice, no light, and no life. Only death. The pure built the stone wall to contain the Draugr, but the fog slowly spreads, allowing the Draugr to come further into our realm," Gerron continued. "At this point the wall is meant more to keep us out than the Draugr in. The Draugr fear the light of life. Their realm is dark and dead, and if they ventured out into our world they would soon die. They stay within the fog, where less light reaches them.”
“So why do the Draugr still live on if they were not granted the gift of eternal life and permitted into Eterna?” Peitus asked.
“Just as there is life and death, so too is there eternal life and eternal death,” Gerron explained. “Eternal life is what life would be like without corruption, impurity and evil. Eternal death is a complete lack of goodness and love. Rather than living on, the souls of the damned die on and on, for eternity. Imagine more than a vast nothingness, but a lack of goodness; a place where everything is harmful, dangerous and ravenous.”
“Sounds like most of Haaret if you ask me,” I added.
“Indeed it seems to be turning out that way. And if Scievah gets his hands on another stone the tear could widen, allowing even more of the Sepulcre to spill into our realm,” Patreus joined.
“So how do we fight against them? How do we kill what is already dead? And won’t the Draugr be sent right back to the Sepulcre to die over and over again?” Peitus asked.
The Return of the Fifth Stone Page 25