Chapter 17-1

Chapter 17-1

Jaydan wiped a soft tear from his friend's cheek with the back of his hand. Jaydan took Jeff hand in his hand as he knelt beside him. Jaydan strokes his soft blond hair. “My dear friend, did you think we had forgotten you and how import you are to us?” Jeff tries to nod but is too weak to move. Jaydan smiles wiped his tears from his cheeks. “No my dear friend, for we ride like the wind for the hour is near.”

Jaydan clasping his hands together in one single shot of light surrounds them both as time stood still.  Jeff found himself standing in the gardens of life, natures all around them. Jaydan picked the fruit off a tree and takes two plumbs one for Jeff one for EJ. “This one's for you,” Jaydan squeezed it into a glass. “The other is for the boy whom you will give him tonight with this.” 

Jaydan taking an ice green crystal small as a tiny pebble mixed it with shade moss from lucre tree. “This should help him fight against the shadow in his mind. Provide him strength with a mother’s tears.” Jaydan carefully mixes the compounds then pours them into a vile. Watching Jeff eat the plumb as his eyes become clear and his strength returns. “Now go quickly my friend while the battle rages on in the distant field of the camp.” Jaydan opened the gateway for Jeff towards the backside of the mountain of Morgan and the boy.

Jeff watched the gate closes as he counts the guards on the mountain hides behind the rocks on the cliffs and enters the hidden cave. Jeff pause as footsteps approach from behind as he slips behind the rocks, the torch goes out just before the men see a shadow behind the rocks. Jeff hears a small whisper in the cracks. “Jeff….”

* * * *

 

Jaydan tried to get things back under control. Looked to where he laid the body of Betty on the bed picking it up gently placed it with the others. Raising the flag of Council of Light, blowing the horn, Jaydan charges into battle, he’s sword swift. Jaydan danced in between the lines of Dark Knights, one after another swords and staffs fighting with pure muscle. Fireballs of light whizzed through the air, Captions, and soldiers pushing back the borders trying to regain a foothold as more men from all sides shore the sides not letting through the beast across the lands.

More beast coming through the gate from the north as Jaydan turned his men towards them. Fatigue now settled in as they fight. Their dead seem countless as they pushed on through daybreak. Jaydan hoping help would arrive soon as his men dwindle. Raise the horn to his lips one last time to call the cry for battle. He blows as tears rolled down his cheek for his comrades in arms raising the flag as the sun peaked over the mountain tops, he fell to his knee as spear whistled by him.

His Caption cried out “two arms.” knelt down beside Jaydan lifting up in his arms, wrapping his cloak around him. Jaydan lies there motionless with his head on his Captions knee. The sunlight touched Jayden's face as the tears rolled down the Captions face for his friend and comrade.

Jaydan hand moves as he slowly opened his eyes looks at his friend. “Why do cry for me my friend? Am I among the dead? For am I not part of the shadow and the light. My time has not come for the shadow lives on in all of us as we all do in the light. Cry not for the dead for they are at peace my friend as we shall raise the battle cry once more upon the lands, freeing our brothers who lay in shadow. For it, we that shall raise the battle cry freeing them once more for the shadow and light are one and the same.

“But it does look like I might need to borrow another horse.” Jaydan laughed pulling his leg out from underneath the saddle and rubbing his head. “Plus I think my leg is broken other than that I am just fine.” Caption Rodgers laughed helping him up placing his arm around him as he hobbles back to camp in one of the caves nearby. “Caption Rodgers, what’s our position?” Jaydan asked as he gazed across the field.

“They overtook us by surprise sir somehow they knew that this would be our weakest point.”

“But why would they attack here?” Jaydan asked scanned the map of the surrounding hills. Placing his finger on the on the map as he draws a line than a large circle with three sides of a triangle pattern of the stars. Jaydan gasp at the sign drawn at the center of the map. Jaydan heart heavy realizing why Morgan wants the boy as he looked down at the map drawn in ink. It might as well have been drawn in the boys own blood looking across the battlefield.

* * * *

 

Linda screams and faints as she falls to the floor as Doctor Hatfield turned around just in time to catch her. Nathaniel quickly tosses the sheet aside grabbing his sword as a Darzzee lizard with yellow eyes and blue scale skin. Dressed in black, slowly removed his hood covering his face as it entered the doorway.  The Darzzee takes his long sword scraping the metal surface as it grinds his way into the room. Kicking over the empty beds as he walks towards Nathaniel, “so my friend. You are not dead after all I see,” as he spits on the ground.

Nathaniel stands with eyes on his prey yet cool. “Hello, Decora how’s the leg these days?” He asked.

Decora quickly strikes as Nathaniel blocked circling with a round turn. As he pushed him back towards the door, away from the patents in the room.  Decora rolls sprinting back, tossing two blades towards Nathaniel. Nathaniel quickly spins his blade in an arc rebounding them back towards the wall. Decora laughs “you gotten old my friend, you used to not care for these simple minded folks.”

Nathaniel smiled “Wrong again old friend!” As he reached into his boot pulled out granny’s knife. “I’m one of those simple-minded folk.” As he spins with one hand whirling his blade in the other watching granny’s knife hits it mark right between the eyes as he sweeps him off his feet plugging the sword right into his heart.

Linda comes around as the nurses put things back together again. Nathaniel has his men posted outside while the others bury Decora before the town wakes up. Nathaniel watches Doc put on a third pot of Joe on the stove with a little extra something to take the edge off, taking the paper off the wall with the Dark Knight tossed it into the fire. “Easy now Linda,” Doc said putting a pillow behind her head and giving her something soothing to calm her nerves.

Linda tries to push it away staring out the window into the street. “I saw him Doc!” She answered.

“Saw who, Linda?” Doc asked

“My son EJ,” as tears started to form,” But it wasn’t him. I could see it in his eyes those dark cold eyes. He was….…?”

“He was what?”.

“Going to kill me,” she cries.

“Shhh now,” Doc said looks over at Nathaniel trying to get a grip himself. It seems just yesterday day a young boy that was badly hurt ended up at the Downing’s farm. Who would have thought? In two years time, they would be knee deep fighting for their very lives from things that have no business here in first place. Just because they want something this boy has and they feel that they have to take it from him to get it.

Doc gives Linda something to help her rest as the nurses give Nathaniel a warm smile as they pass his bed. Nathaniel placing his sword in the corner by the bed tries to pass the time away while everything else is going on around him.

Doc can sense the uneasiness as he watched Nathaniel tosses back and forth on the bed. Pulls his game of chess and sets it on a create near the bed. Nathaniel looks at Doc as if he lost his mind. “This is not helping much Doc,” as Doc set up the pieces on the board.

Doc smiles placing the pieces making his first move then nods. “This is where we are at now,” and smiles. “You have ten men with nothing to do, but stand outside that door.” Doc pauses… “The Whitmore farm is here,” taking a pawn placing it in front on the next square. “And the Downing Farm is here.” setting another pawn over the next square to the right. Creating a square like a circle with a king in the middle, “we have 6 deputies and seven watchmen. One and a half Doctors counting my friend over at this farm over here,” setting another pawn on the board. Doc sets the king piece in the middle. “You sir are the king these are your pawns known as the townspeople. You have your knights now go save our town,” handing Nathaniel his shirt and his boots.

“Thanks, Doc.” Nathaniel putting his hand Doc shoulder. The first thing Nathaniel does assign three men to guard Linda and Docs offices not taking any chances. Riding hard and fast to the old farmhouse meeting Kollie, Betty and Lenny on the way in as the car was headed towards New Downing.

Betty rolled down the window on the side of the road. “Aren’t you supposed to be in New Downing in bed Nathaniel?” She asked.

Nathaniel climbed down from his horse looks at Lenny in the back seat of the car “I thought I told Jeff to make sure both you got back to camp.”

“Change of plans my friend,” Lenny said.

“I can see that!” Nathaniel raking his fingers through his hair.

Lenny tries to explain all that has happened.  “Now no need to get all huffy just because things aren’t going your way, so we’ve had some minor setbacks that’s all.”

“Setbacks, if call getting yourself nearly killed in the process!”

“Yes, that was unfortunate,” Lenny said looking at the ground. “However it does not change the fact that I’m their teacher and their guide and he has placed them in my hands for the time being.”

Nathaniel looks at Betty. “Well at least there is one thing I can do is to make sure you get back to Jaydan. Before anything else happens around here.”

Betty kicked the dirt pauses. “Actually Nathaniel we kinda can’t do that either, that’s why I’m still here… Not to worry. I still have at least looking at the sun a good 8 hours before the enchantment wears off.”

Nathaniel seemed a little stressed out as she explains the spy in the camp and how they tried to kill her and his eyes giving a far way look towards the fields of the west of the mountain. For some reason he understands taking her hand looks towards New Downing “It was no accident,” he whispered. “The fates are tied to a single moment.”

“A heartbeat quickens as a still small voice cries out beneath the mountain of a young boy. Who calls for his mother as the beast tries to take his last breath of hope, yet is not heard. As he screams her name desperately clawing at the shadows. ‘Save me, I am here, where are you?’ Then the voice is silenced as the beast takes the form of his mother and answers ‘I’m here’ as the beast closes the door.

“The heavens wept as starless sky shadowing the blood moon in the east and west. A Dark Prince is born as he emerges from the womb of the beast that covers the land in darkness as the sword of power is once more seized up upon the lands. The prince kneels at his master feet in all his glory placing the sword at his feet. ‘Master here is the sword that you have asked for that was once was lost.’ The beast cries unto the prince as he picked up the sword, ‘you have done well my Prince’ as he slowly raises the sword for there may only be one.”  

Betty looks up into Nathaniel's eyes as he says the words of the beast watching the tears flow down his face. “The beast is Morgan,” Betty whispers “and EJ is calling.” 

Nathaniel looks into Betty’s eyes ever so gently, “yes. And we will answer his call for Morgan will not take this boy.” As he raised his sword in the air the sunshine’s gleaming down upon the sword of light. “If I have to drag him by the bootstraps myself and put him into Martha’s arms personally and in that, I promise….”