Iodine

The unlikely few have many paths to carve.

 The views from high ridge plain were best seen in the early hours of dawn for the beauty of the suns color always calmed Iodine. He sat on the mountainous meadow, with his back resting on the grey tree.A tree that saw many changes for it was ancient, its leaves gave a touch of brown like the sun of autumn, it sat upon one of the highest places on the meadow giving it the typical bird's eye view has it had for decades. Daybreak was upon him. The first arrows of dawn's light passed through the dark clouds casting beams of golden light .He knew that a storm was on its way as the sky was showing him, it was gathering its power as if it had been sent to blacken his morning and cripple the view.

Iodine was reading an unusual book that he had haggled in a rather strange stall down in Hassium you could say at a stealing price. He had not remembered much of that rare day for the wine and mead had drowned him . The island of Hassium named after the sixth member of Hesse. Hassium laid not to far from  the coast of Ruthenium (where Iodine was born and raised). The Last days of war were always greeted. Iodine was a soldier fighting for the House of Ruthen and led by Tiberius Ruthenium a man led by confliction of his own decisions.The air was still as the ships had landed in the lively harbor Tiberius had ordered for the armada to be resupplied by the break of dawn and what could not be better than Hassium the city of northern merchants. It was a stall like any other made from wood and nails, many strange things had been brought here during the war, that's all he could really remember the rest was in bit and pieces as if mist had covered it up .

The cover of the book was:The bewildering myths of cipher : it was worn like an old man with  leathery skin it had that smell of being very ancient almost like it's  never been read but only written.

Iodine had tried to read  the first couple of chapters but each page had word's of an unknown origin. The paper had a smooth feel while filled with drawings and writing leaving bumps of ink all of the paper as if they were little hills. Many of the pages were  filled with drawing's of mythical beasts that he had only heard off, leaving him to think and question what he had seen or was it all a lie made up by someone.

Time had passed, unraveling how long he had been in his mind. The roaring thunder shattered his head into a million pieces of shards. It had  awoken him from his thoughts. The ground vibrated at the touch of lightning as it  traveled underneath like it was searching for something. Thunder shook the ground as if it were a toy. Iodine eyes saw something that few had ever seen, the air grew cold around him as if it were a thief creeping up on him. The bolt's burned as it went threw the air, its color that of the darkest sea. As it grew across the sky as if it were a god. The lightning had fiercely connected with the tip of mount  Ural and it gave way as  rock's and boulders of the mountain fell onto the meadow.

He realized that this was no ordinary storm, as  it grew more violent as every second passed before his eyes. Iodine  made his way down the slanted meadow like he were being chased. He ran for his horse before the hordes of rain fell upon him. Blinded by driving rain, he struggled to run through the sticky mud. The storm's attack was so fierce, he was forced to battle with the elements just to remain upright. Each time he fell into the mud, he suffered defeat.

Iodine could just make out the sturdy trees. His horse black as coal and misty as the moon, it hid under the cover of trees. within minutes has he had clear sight of quer (his horse), the worst had happened as if it had meant to be.

The lighting  cracked and sizzled, roared like a sea of fire he was thrown violently backwards due to the raw power of the blast. Unfortunately hitting a lone ironwood tree his body was like an axe as he collided with the tree. It retaliated, the pain was vile as one hundred knives were impaling him. They call the ironwood tree for a reason. Iodine had hit the tree hard enough that some bit's of wood managed to impale him.Iodine laid on the ground as he was in shock. Iodine's back had taken the worst of it, a sharp piece of wood lodged somewhere in his back. He manged to kneel but falling  dizzy and sick for the realization of death. As  Iodine's  eyes gained a control he feared the worst was not yet to come , torn in two and upon ablaze that was what became of quer , the trees we no shield now they were death,  as burning and screaming came from all directions. Was it all real. Iodine could not tell truth to lie his eyes and ears deceived him.

He had to move or he too could share the same fate , but it was nigh impossible to stand his body told him to stay but his mind said the opposite, a rush of adrenaline hit is body like a drug, he fought for a couple of minutes in a brutal clash of will. Eventually is urge to live pushed him forward. It took time but he finally was able to stand as his physique has always been in good shape . Where he had laid was a pool of blood dark as the reddest of wine but now diluting as the rain clattered against the bloody soft mud. Iodine was trying to regain his senses but he had been shell shocked.

For the blast had taken his sense's out of tune like the strings on a badly tuned circa. Iodine had moved very slowly under the cover of darkness  only lightning showed him the way  . Every pace was tempting him to fall upon the hungry floor he had not moved far from where he was, limping and stopping too often, he had made sure he had his belongings that he had taken with him on the meadow some were gifts some were sentimental but he could not leave it for many secrets has he hidden within. While on the path to ride ridge  there were no signs of the  storm getting any better in fact it was only getting worse. He tried with all his strength but his pain had drowned him causing him to collapse  and he was just a man, as his body lay flat on the half grassy mud with the rain constantly tapping him like a thousand-little cold sharp fingers it was more than painful but it was cold and numbed him, he stated to fade out thinking of nothing seeing nothing being nothing he faded away into the storm's arms as it greeted him like an old friend.

Hours had passed and the sky was glimmering pink while sun fell. The clattering sound of hooves could be heard as the horses ran across the muddy path toward's the city of Grade. Three horses fell upon one another. The first horse crushed bones of the first rider. The second horse tore it's front muscles to bit while the rider named Marston  had already fallen before he was crushed. That third horse had broken bones but  Calibra had luck on his side as he only had some cut's and bruises , all three of the horses lay in pain slowly fading. 

"What's the problem?" General Obus called to his men. Marston reported , "Three horses fell, sir. One man's been crushed to death." General Obus called to his med. "Iranes get over here!"Iranes obeyed as he rode on with his horse."Stay with  these men and set up camp" Obus knew this was the quickest way to deal with the problem for he had no time to waist. "Forward on" shouted Obus. As he had orders to reach the town as soon as possible. The rest of the party rode in haste to their destination but being ever more careful of where the rode.

The sound of hooves vanished as so entered the breaths of the dyeing horses Marston was a hunter when he was little and a hunter he was now. Marston could feel the bruises as the pain slowly entered him. He walked to the horses they were  still with life but riddled with pain, Marston took out a silver knife from his stealth it had seen many hunt's but never grew blunt. As he stroked his horse he had known for so little he could not help to feel sadness. Blood rushed out the neck as the horse acted death he took the horses pain away and stared to skin  horse for the meat was fresh and the hide was warm.

Calibra was born during  Nihonium's war he never knew the fate of his parents. He was  found in the burnt town of Eurielle. A new born baby he was. Raised by an orphanage and enlisted in the army  when he grew of age.

"Look what's that" shouted Calibra , he had noticed something was off in the corner of his eye.  Calibra had gone over to where the horses had fallen  a lump in the mud stood like a root of a tree. A man covered in mud lay on the ground

"Iranes we  got a dead man"Calibra was not sure if the man was dead but he assumed so. "help me pull him out " asked Calibra. The man wore a dark tunic and a simple leather jacket that covered his chest he also wore  linen chausses .The placed the man on his front facing the grass near the camp. "Marston hand me  some water" demand Iranes. "We need a fire before dusk hit's us " said Iranes. "we already ahead of you " as both Marston and Calibra had already made one.

Before Iranes did anything he checked the mans pulse, it was steady but something was off he could feel it. Iranes carefully took of the man's torn clothes trying not to touch his back to much. Iranes had a decent amount of experience when it came to on  wounds and during the war, he had his fair share of healing the helpless and he became rather good at it. The man had a piece of iron wood stuck in his back. But the most peculiar burn marks in the shape of lightning covered  his left arm as if they were tattoos, they were strange indeed. 

Iranes  took a  piece cloth from his bag and sunk it in the water Marston had given him. He started to clean the bloody stained back of the man. Once Iranes had finished cleaning he sought to take the dagger of ironwood out.With  hand's soaked in blood he reached for his bag, which contained many plant's capable of healing and killing.

White vein lotus a very rare plant and Iranes took one out of his intoxicating bag. He crushed the plant with his wooden mixing bowl and mixed it with pure cool alcohol. Iranes always kept this kind of stuff on him. The mixture would allow for the most of the wound to be frozen it would stop the bleeding and would give him time to take any unwanted waste.  It was also a very powerful pain reliever if used in the right amount's. Iranes conjured a liquid  that would allow for extreme self-healing but it did not always work the effects could differ from each and every person.

Iranes pulled the dagger of wood carefully and slowly as possible. But still blood came out like an fire of a dragon. Iranes poured the mixture onto the wound, as it crashed with the torn skin and fiery blood the wound grew cold as if it were a block of ice. Blood stopped flowing and froze in it's tracks as the mixture filled the empty rivers of his back, frost covered his boiling body as it took shape of runes and patterns.

"Have you never witnessed Vökvi vetni" Iranes asked with curiosity in his voice. "Its a northern way of healing" answered Calibra. "Indeed it is". "You've never see something quite bewildering, your find this way of healing in furthest towns of the north" Iranes had learned  this method while he severed in the frozen lands during the battle of Vanreor .

"The metal rod "called out Iranes. Marston passed it to him. The rod was hot as it had been in the demise of fire. Iranes covered it in a layer of aquaphor that would disinfect and close the wound when combined with extreme heat.  He gently placed the hot rod on the first layer of skin where the wound lay, little steam clouds came flying out from his wound it sizzled and popped the smell of burning flesh entered their nostrils the air had a sicking smell.

"That’s enough " shouted Calibra he was wary of this, was even doing the man any good.

Iranes ignored him as he carried on applying pressure. After Iranes was sure that the wound had closen. He got the bandages from his bag and Yuri's wine. The rod clattered as it hit the ground leaving blood stains all over it. Out of rare chance  the reaction had worked so well on the man, the flesh,arteries and veins had all connected to each other like little arms holding each other up. Then Iranes wrapped the bandages around like vines suffocating a tree.

The cool air of the night surrounded them making the fire even more precious, it's embers burning like fireflies. "What's the whole deal with the new regime" asked Marston as he ate his horse stew. "Does it look like i know anything"Iranes wasn't in the mood for this kind of thing. The moment had gone silent as they all ate there stew in silence.

"What made you save him"asked Calibra. Iranes let out a sigh. "I let too many die" he paused thinking only of the past "I gave up on them, and they never gave up on me". These words conjured the images of all those innocent lives lost in the war. Faces of men, women, and children.The faces of his family.

Iodine's sore eyes had opened. Pain flew in his blood,his skin burn like coals his breath was dry and his neck cold as death. Iodine started to faded back into slumber. It was cool and minty as his eyes fully awoke with awe and dismay. A man had splashed minty water over his face. 

Iranes stared at the man as he woke."What's your name lad"Iranes said. All three of them. Iranes,Marston and Calibra had packed up and where ready to move only waiting on the dead man.The man did not respond but instead had a look of being reborn.

Author's Note

All feedback is greatly appreciated.What do you think.

Reviews

[Srchaud]

Beatiful. Your way with words and the way they are weaved into your prose is magnificant. I usually gives words of encouragement to any writer as most tend to have some skill and merit but this is really good.
Have you made this into a book yet and tried to get an agent. With the style of writing I think you have a good shot.
The flow was smooth and we jumped right into action only a few paragraphs in. Even the start was littered with gems. A thieves price. The mystery of the book and some set building. I hope more people read this and I hope you write more. I will add this to my libary in case you do.