David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb

by T. C. Crawford

  “Can’t you do something about it…you’re their king, can’t you force their hand or something? It’s been days now and still there’s been no decision. What’s taking so long?” he asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. Erin was down there and for all he knew she needed their help. He had to get back to her.

  “They have to come to a two-thirds vote or else they won’t allow our men to go. So far, we’ve gotten four of the nine members to vote in our favor. Taylor has been working day and night to convince the rest to agree, but so far, it’s been like hitting your head against a wall. They aren’t budging. They don’t want to be the ones responsible for sending our men to their deaths.” Rex moved back towards the window and gazed out at the lands beyond. “I don’t know what else to do short from killin’ them. But I can’t rule that way…” he trailed off.

  “What if I talk to them? Maybe I can find a way to get them to understand the severity of the situation.” David suggested.

  Rex laughed. “Good luck with that, boy. Have at it!” he gestured towards the table where the council sat discussing their points of view back and forth in an attempt to rally support of the others.

  “Hey! Listen up. My guest has somethin’ he would like to say” bellowed Rex over the murmur of the council.

  They all quickly turned and locked their gazes on David, apparently annoyed by the sudden interruption of their heated debate.

  Suddenly David didn’t feel like talking so much.

  “Well, boy, are you going to speak or are you just going to sit there with that dumb look on your face?” asked one of the council members impatiently.

  The rest of the members erupted in a roar of laughter before Rex fixed his glare on them and they all quieted back down. David cleared his throat before beginning.

  “My name is David Bishop. I am a friend of the King’s, but more importantly, I am a friend of those back in the Northern Kingdom.” he started confidently. “They are currently fighting for their lives against an imposing force of darkness that has suddenly and violently swept across their lands. The capital city was ambushed in a vicious attack that imprisoned their king and replaced him with a merciless ruler named General Krauss. My friend, Erin, who on many accounts has saved my life, is down there as we speak trying to fight her way into the capital to save the man who helped raised her since she was a small child.”

  He looked around to make sure all of the members were keenly focused on him before he continued. Some of them seemed to be intent on what he was saying and were listening closely, while others appeared even more annoyed than they were at first and were privately whispering to each other, shaking their heads in frustration.

  “This woman, who is alone out there risking her life, is standing up against incredible odds in order to attempt to rescue a man that she loves dearly while you men are sitting around a table talking about reasons why you can’t come to her aid and the aid of your neighbors.

  “You call yourselves men? You say you have honor? Well prove it! Prove that you have the courage to stand up for what you believe in, to stand up and fight for the right for others to live as freely and as peacefully as you do now.

  “Is that not a right that we should all have? Is that not a right that is worth risking our lives for?” he could see that most of the men were quietly nodding in agreement now while only a couple of them were still on the fence. He continued with more intensity.

  “You think that their problem may not concern you because of where you live up in the mountains. You couldn’t be more wrong. What do you think will happen once General Krauss conquers the whole of the Northern Kingdom? What about when he finds a way to open the Dark Abyss and unleashes the horrors from within its depths? What then? Do you think that you will still be safe behind your walls and your mountains? No! He will continue to expand and conquer until every single kingdom has been trampled under the feet of tyranny. You may wonder how I know this. It’s because I’ve seen it.” The whole council suddenly broke their silence and excited whispers erupted from everyone at the table.

  “What do you mean you’ve seen it, boy?” asked one of the older members who was apparently opposed to their desperate plea for help.

  “I’m not from this world. I was taken here by this.” David held up his hand to show everyone the orb. They all gasped in shock, unsure of what they were now seeing with their eyes. “When I found this orb in a temple in the Outer Woods, it called out to me.

  “When I grabbed it, everything went black and it showed me a terrible battle that was to come. It was to be led by this man, General Krauss. In my vision, his armies destroyed everything in its path. Maybe it means it is futile to try to stop him, but maybe it was a vision of what would happen if we didn’t stand together and fight for our freedom as one people – a free people, willing to fight for their right to live in peace.” He could see that the others were now nodding in agreement, apparently agreeing with his logic.

  “If we stand alone, we fight alone. His power is not something to be reckoned with, trust me I saw it. But if we stand and fight together, united across the lands, we will give him one hell of a fight that he won’t soon forget!” He paused for a moment, looking around at the faces of the men around him, letting his message sink in – all much older than he, but suddenly all very focused on the young man that stood before them.

  “I beg you to reconsider and send every able-bodied soldier who can fight to help us take back the kingdom and destroy this evil man, before he unleashes the unfathomable evil from within the Dark Abyss. This is our only chance to stop him! I can’t promise you we will win, but I can promise you that if we don’t fight, we will lose.”

  Having said all that he could say, David quietly walked back over to Rex and Orin by the windows. They both nodded silently in agreement to his words, amazed at his ability to hold the room of such a group of influential and stubborn men.

  “He’s a born leader, that one” whispered Rex, nudging Orin lightly in the arm. Orin shook his head in agreement.

  Taylor Cuthbert stood, and everyone looked to him as he spoke loudly across the room. “As head of the council I feel that times like this call for radical action. I want every council member to put in their vote now or be permanently replaced by someone who has the guts to come to a decision that’s worthy of this honorable position. We can no longer afford to wait; we must vote now.” He sat back down and immediately all the members began to talk quietly amongst themselves, debating whether or not he could do such a thing. Finally, they quieted down and one by one each member called out their vote. The council unanimously voted for war.

  ✽✽✽

  In just a few short hours Rex had managed to call together a meeting with the officers and have them begin preparations for the coming march down the mountain and into the Northern Kingdom. Supply wagons were being loaded with food and other supplies necessary for their survival through the campaign while others were being loaded with equipment for camping and setting up mobile workshops for the blacksmiths, wood workers, medics, and cooks.

  The entire city was in an uproar getting ready for the big march the coming day. Within the castle grounds soldiers were drilling left and right, practicing, and honing their skills to prepare for what was sure to be a difficult battle. Officers were screaming orders for soldiers to get in line, to tighten formation, and to sharpen up their aim. Everyone was tense, focused on the task at hand.

  David and Orin were instructed to help wherever they were needed in order to help further along the preparations. David, not being versed in war, decided he would help with getting the supplies packed and loaded, waving goodbye as he started off towards the wagons. He called out that he would catch up with the others later.

  Orin determined his help would be most beneficial with the soldiers, helping them prepare for any magical opponents they could encounter on the battlefield. He had heard of David’s vision and the powers that the General possessed, and he suspected deep inside that there woul
d be more magic than just the General’s to worry about.

  He took up teaching one company of soldiers at a time on the importance of recognizing magically gifted enemies and how to take them out most effectively. He mentioned that when a spell was being cast, there was a calm focus in the caster’s eyes and if that focus was lost so was the power of the spell. He instructed any archers to fire immediately on any such individuals, and for the soldiers to charge them screaming as loud and ferociously as they could in an attempt to break their concentration and distract them from their task.

  As the sun progressed in the sky and Orin felt more confident with the lesson’s he had given the men, he began to start live practice sessions one soldier at a time. The line stretched on endlessly, but Orin was a practiced mage and knew that the more exposure these men had toward magical attacks the more confident they would be when they faced them in battle.

  He started off with simple weak flame attacks, ones that were easy to notice and dodge, then he later moved on to fully formed fireballs. Orin knew there weren’t many mages in the Northern Kingdom, knowing of only himself and the Elders, but he didn’t know what General Krauss’ magic was capable of.

  As far as he knew, the only others who possessed magic were the Elves and Dwarves, or the ancient cult of the Order of the Abyss – but that following had been eradicated ages ago not long after the fall of the Defiant One. He hadn’t seen or heard of their activity in centuries, but he wasn’t going to pass up the possibility, knowing that to do so would leave himself, and his men, unprepared.

  He knew that if they had somehow survived all this time in hiding, and they had decided to fight alongside General Krauss and his soldiers when they clashed in battle, they would be in for a severely difficult fight.

  Orin was talented, possibly the most powerful mage left in existence, but he was only one man. One man against an army of dark mages – hardly the odds he would have hoped for. Orin sighed as he considered the task at hand before continuing his lessons far after the sun set and gave way to the night.

  When he finished his training, he said farewell to the soldiers and started off towards the dining hall. He didn’t realize how hungry he was until he had time to sit and think about it. He had been so focused on training the men that he didn’t even realize he hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and even that was only some biscuits and a muffin.

  His head was aching from the repetitive casting he had been performing since early afternoon. It had been a long time since he had cast for so long and he forgot how exhausting it could be. He reminded himself to start mentally preparing for the coming battle, knowing it would be far more strenuous and harder on him than a simple training exercise.

  Before he knew it, he had reached the hallway that led to the dining hall. The wonderful aroma of roasted meat and fresh steamed vegetables drifted through the air and made his stomach long for food. He took an enormous whiff and his mouth watered with anticipation, fueling his tired limbs to increase their speed.

  He pushed his way through the doors leading into the dining room and past the crowd of kitchen staff. They were circling around the room with large platters in their hands filled with all kinds of dishes ranging from poultry, fish, and wild game to rolls, biscuits, and honey-buttered bread. He noticed, much to his satisfaction, that some even carried trays of desserts such as chocolate cake, truffles, and these little round donuts filled with a sweet cream. He couldn’t wait to dig in.

  He finally spotted Rex and David sitting at the end of the large table. They must have arrived early enough to avoid the bustling of the staff, he thought, noticing their already half eaten plates.

  He casually returned their greeting as they spotted him coming through the crowd and urged him to come sit and eat. He pulled up a chair to the right of David and immediately began grabbing handfuls of an assortment of food.

  David and Rex laughed at the old man’s appetite and let him get a few mouthfuls in before attempting to speak to him.

  Rex was the first to ask, “How did the training go?”

  Orin responded only between very large mouthfuls of food and drink, “It went as well as it could, I suppose. The men should be ready for battle, but against the General...” he trailed off. His silence made the point well enough.

  “Understood” replied Rex, helping himself to another plate of roasted meat.

  David, satisfied with his single helping, decided to instead have another glass of mead, a sweet, honey flavored wine the staff had brought out, and give his food some time to settle. He thought about what Orin had said before when the orb had reacted to the danger around him, wondering if there was a better way to react than waiting until being nearly killed.

  “Hey, Orin, do you think you could take some time after you finish eating to work with me on better controlling the orb's power? Maybe you could give me some pointers since you know so much about magic.” he asked hopefully.

  “I can try, David, but I can’t promise much. The magic of that orb has never been studied. I suspect that your mind and its power are somehow intricately connected.” He stopped for a moment to take a big swig of wine before continuing. “The most I can do for you is to help you try to connect with it consciously. From there, if we succeed, you’re on your own.”

  David nodded in agreement, happy to have any direction at all with figuring out how to unlock the orb’s power.

  The rest of the meal went by with relatively little conversation. Rex finished four helpings worth of food, one plate less than Orin. Rex and David were awed at how much food that old mage could eat considering his scrawny figure and his unimaginable age.

  When they were all satisfied and full, Rex went up to his private chambers to call it a night while Orin and David set off to a private study down the hall where their rooms were located.

  The room was wide and ran a lengthy way down the side of the Eastern wall of the castle on the second floor. It had a series of windows along its length that overlooked the city in the distance down the hill. The sky was a black moonless night, but the stars were brilliantly lit and provided enough light to add a faint blanket across the landscape.

  The room itself had high bookcases between the windows on the East side and stretched side by side along the opposite wall from one end all the way to the door. They were stacked with thousands of volumes of books.

  Because of its wide-open floor and its tranquil setting, Orin chose this room for David’s training. He needed somewhere quiet so they could concentrate, but also large enough to accommodate for any unexpected bursts of energy that David might unleash.

  When they were ready to begin, Orin instructed David to sit in the center of the room and close his eyes. Orin sat at a desk near the back wall that was used for studying the volumes of books on the shelves. He spoke quietly to David, urging him to concentrate on the inner most chambers of his thought, to dive deep into the ocean of his consciousness to find the hidden power lying dormant within.

  David tried to do as he was instructed.

  At first, he didn’t see anything except darkness and the occasional little blip of images passing quickly by, having little more success after what felt like hours of practice. But Orin urged him to remain patient and forced him to try again and again.

  Finally, after practicing some breathing techniques that Orin had shown him, he slowly began to relax, and a series of vivid pictures drifted across his mind of memories long past.

  He saw a younger version of himself playing with the children at the orphanage. They were playing hide and seek like they always did when it was nice enough to be outside. He longed for the simple life he left behind – a life safe from danger and chaos. He may have been lonely, but he loved the staff at the orphanage. They were kind to him and the only parent figures he ever knew.

  The orphanage faded from sight and images of Erin took its place. He smiled unconsciously at the sight of her standing so vividly before him. Her shimmering hair was shining in the sun while those de
ep eyes pierced through him, making him long deeply for her to be by his side once more.

  Suddenly she vanished and all was black once again. He tried consciously bringing back her image, but he felt his mind being driven towards something deep within.

  He felt like he was moving, being pulled quickly through a pitch-black tunnel towards a presence that lay waiting at the other side. Slowly a faint light began to appear, pulsing far in the distance at the end of the tunnel. He could vaguely remember something similar, but he couldn’t place his mind on it.

  He gave up trying to fight the incessant pull and let himself get carried away, further into the tunnel towards the pulsing light. The closer he came, the brighter the light grew, until finally he could tell what the source of the light was – the orb.

  It was glowing with such ferocity that David felt the need to shield his eyes before realizing he had no eyes or body for that matter, it was his consciousness floating through infinite space and time towards the orb. Then the unimaginable happened – it spoke to him.

  David… he heard it call. Free your mind, David…give in to the power within.

  Suddenly he felt a searing heat shoot through his mind and his vision turned to a brilliant white light that was brighter than a thousand suns. It felt like molten lead was filling his head and he suddenly wondered why he wasn’t crippled with the intensity. Instead, he could feel an incredible tingling sensation that seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The air around him seemed to hum with the intensity of the power that was surrounding him. Then suddenly it all vanished. David found himself back in the room with Orin standing beside him, shaking him urgently.

  “David, wake up, child. Come back to me!” he heard him say. David slowly blinked his eyes which were watering uncontrollably as if they had been open without blinking for way too long. He quickly rubbed his eyes to wipe the sting away and dry off the remaining tears.

  “Good heavens. You’re awake! I’ve been trying for an hour to bring you back. What happened?” Orin asked nervously. He gently walked David over to the table and sat him down in the chair.