Chapter 9-1

Chapter 9-1

Margaret screamed as if her heart is being torn in two seeing a vision of Jaydan being taken by a dark sickness covering the lands around them. Echoes of Jaydan calling out for help as he fell to the ground, wrapped with sharp tentacles of pain that racked his body and his companions. 

Margaret leaped into the air, her white staff of flame burning brighter than noonday sun, her horse glistens white with silver armor.  Margaret quickly makes a gate as lightning cress crosses the sky. Within moments she was standing at the edge of the graveyard,

Jaydan hand stretched out for help, his voice echoed the pain. Margaret takes her staff pointed it towards Jaydan. Her eyes lit with fire and ice, her red hair flew in the cold wind. She shouts as the darkness begins to shrink back. “I am the Lady of the Light. I am here for your soul, be prepared.”

Jaydan once more stands taking his golden staff pointed it towards the trees as they shatter with each bolt that touches them. Margaret leaps high into the air bring down her staff hard as she plants it deep into the earth. The ground shakes around them, releasing Salsern and Rolen from its grips. Jaydan waved his staff encases them in light once more.  Salsern and Rolen eyes open spring once more to their feet. Margaret danced in between the graves releasing the spirits trapped in darkness.

Her eyes flickered as she calls out each name. They watched the darkness scream with each soul cleansed.  Jaydan leads Salsern and Rolen out of the forest listening to the souls of the dammed being freed. A bright light stands in the middle then bursts. Margaret sitting on a headstone with her legs crossed with a big smile across her face.  With her staff standing beside her as two ghostly figures stood before her.

Jaydan and his companion walked back towards the ghostly figures. Rolen stops in shock seeing his great, great grandfather Cerius and another person dressed in white, his great, great Grandmother standing next to him. They both bow to him. “Be welcomed this day with peace upon you,” his Grandmother said. Her voice echoed throughout the trees.  Salsern and Jaydan nod to Rolen that it was safe to enter the graveyard once more.

Rolen eyes slowly gazed about the small graveyard with caution as he walked towards them. Jaydan joins him at his side as he nods to Margaret. Rolen’s grandfather bows to each of them then stood majestically. “Welcome my grandson,” he said taking his wife's hand.

“Thank you for saving us from this great darkness that has befallen upon us.” His grandmother once more curtsies; Rolen looked upon them with trepidation.

Rolen not sure what to say to the ghosts of his grandparents, nods and tries to speak without showing fear in his voice. “I wish to know why I was not told that I myself was a wizard, that is if I am allowed to ask.” His mind spinning as thoughts and a hundred question spin out of control in his mind, his lips trembled as he waited for the answer.

“Be at peace and free of your mind, for these things alone can trap your very soul,” replied his Grandfather his voice echoed the graveyard. “For upon this very day and reason, we bestow on to you a warrior’s heart and armor of courage to help face the darkness that walks among you this very day.” Images of a suite of armor surrounded Rolen, images of his father and grandfather making the armor in the tiny shop where he grew up.

His grandmother steps forth. “A question of a reason why it was held back my Grandson was agreed upon long ago to keep you safe, until it may be known of your royal heritage, a newborn prince of Galena who was marked for death at the time.

“It was your fathers and our choice until now. In hope in time, it’s self, that the time of prophecy of these things would come to pass and was to remain hidden and un-weaved from the pattern of time. Until the time of prophecy was born when the White Solan and the Dark Prince rides upon the land once more and your and their true destiny is hidden well into the fabric of time.” Replied his grandmother as his grandfather waved his hand bring forth images of Morgan and Hess and the two companions. The Dark Prince and the White Solan have been reborn. Rolen stood and watched as each of the destiny’s’ were born and their images fade.

“Help them, my son, for they are part of the same fruit and numbered upon the stars. Help them by keeping each of them safe, for it is they that hold the very light of the world and beyond the fabric of Time itself, in their hands. If one fails they both fail, then darkness will gather and light will be no more lost in shadow. And all life here and throughout the Universe will wink out, out of existence, without hope of rebirth, or the light that of mankind.” Rolen grandfather said as he waved his hand showing the dream of chaos.

Rolen and all the companions watched each world die as Hess reigns supreme. The Dark Prince head falls and rolled down the hillside upon all broken and dead bodies, Hess laughs as the cold winds engulf the lands. Many lost souls howl and scream in everlasting torment.

The White Solan lost in time forever as the worlds themselves covered in living darkness: allowing Hess and Morgan to recreate the fabric of time in their own image as Gods ruling over their creations, people in slaved bound to their will, without hope, without the light. In the end, they watched the images fade into the reassess of time. 

Rolen’s Grandparents point to the entrance of the crypt as rays of sunlight stream down towards the opening. “Now my Grandson take up the armor of light and strike the very heart of darkness. For the time has come as it has been foretold by the stars. Take hold of your destiny among your people and show them how to fight the darkness on their lands and become a great king upon the lands of Galena.

“Let the sword of truth be your guide my son until we meet again,” replied his grandfather for the last time.  Rolen watches as his grandparents rise in the air dissipate into shooting stars then burst into the streaming blue rays of light upon the lands.

Rolen slowly walked towards the crypt with his eyes wary for danger as he lifts his left hand pushing it forward as a stone door shatters into small stones. Rolen slowly walked down the stairs using his sword for light. The sword giving off a blue light against the shadows of the room, in the middle laid the sarcophagus with a stone man lying across the top. Rolen sees a small opening like a lock in the shape of his sword. Jaydan lights the torches at the bottom of the winding stairs and along its dark walls.

Rolen studies the sarcophagus and his sword for a minute then placed his sword into the space. A loud click is heard as the sword turned free in the lock counter clockwise. The stone man eyes glowed blue for a minute then begins to split from the base of the stone underneath him. A voice echoed the room. “Who dares disturbs these hallowed grounds where the armor of light lies beneath?”

Rolen's voice shakes as the stone man stirs and begins to walk towards him.  Jaydan stands ready for anything, watching the eyes of stone glow blue and the stone crumbles beneath its feet. Rolen answer trying to keep his voice steady. “I do, for I am Sir Rolen Hadenbergs the Prince of Galena,” as he knelt before the stone man.

The stone man lifted his hand taking the sword in his hand placing the tip of the sword on Rolen's shoulder and his other hand on his head. The stone man hands started to glow white and the sword blue rays gathered about the tomb as another man in blue ghostly light stands next to the man in stone.

The blue Shadow Ghost was the same one Rolen had seen twice now, the first time in the shadows of fire, the second time fighting among the trees this very day.  His eyes twinkled miniature blue stars and his voice like a cold wind blowing through the trees.

Rolen nods as he stayed on his knees, Felton the name of his sword, Rolen acknowledged taking human form. Places his hand on top of the stone mans hand and the other on the sword itself.  A mixture of blue and white light surrounded the room grew brighter than the noonday sun. When Rolen could open his eyes again he found his self standing in the middle of the graveyard dressed in the armor of light and the sword in his hand. Aloud resounding crash with shock-waves that shook the ground as the crypt crumbled and fell to the ground lain in rubble.

It took several minutes before he could take hold of himself. The armor did not feel heavy upon him; in fact, it was light as a feather. He only hoped that it was strong and fortified as he walked around the graveyard. Rolen noticed all eyes were upon him as they gathered around the strange woman sitting casually on a headstone. She smiled back talking to his other companions.

Jaydan slowly turned and they both took a knee stating his new statuses. “My Majesty Prince Rolen, may I present to you the Lady Margaret. The Lady of the Light,” Jaydan said as he made the introductions…

Margaret softly giggled and tried to curtsies as she said. “Majesty,” Rolen tried not to blush as he told them not to bow before him. “For I have neither kingdom nor throne that I am aware of.”

Salsern put his arm around the new prince invites him into their little circle of friends. “That may be true for the moment my Prince, but the time will come that you will raise a mighty kingdom and raises up the cities and townships of Galena. By the time we fight and turn back the darkness of these lands,”

Margaret gives a great big huff as if she was board mumbling. “Men thinking there all that.” Slides off her headstone patted her staff with the palm of her hand.

Jaydan starts to gather their belongings as he stuffed things back on their pack horse.  Jaydan also brings around Rolen steed as well as handing him the reigns. “As I said earlier Rolen, you are more than welcome to travel with us. We would enjoy having you in our party.” Jaydan replied.

Salsern paced the ground as he takes his last look of the small graveyard picks up a small stone plate from crypts door. Salsern rubs the grainy stone as it turns to dust and paces back and forth. Jaydan could see the puzzlement in the man's face as he looks at stone now piled into dust. Salsern tries to smile but his heart wasn’t in it. 

Jaydan picked up some of the stone fragments and asks “what’s wrong?” He puts his other arm around him.

Salsern replies with caution. “Jaydan we need to find a way to close the Cross Bone Gate Prison if we are to have any chance of winning this war. Like you said Hess and Morgan have unlocked the gates and our enemies are free once more. If it wasn’t for the Lady of Light we would still be trapped here in this graveyard.” 

Salsern takes a moment as he looked among the rotted trees where the Moanfera soldiers stood guarding the graveyard and the crypt. “Long ago the masters of the light developed different types of strong metals Pyon being the strongest like our friend Rolen is wearing, Pyondawn being the second strongest and Pyondin the weakest of the three. Now, these metals were forged from the hillside Methion and two other mountains in the Northern badlands known as Jaykrin and Norkin and infused with the strongest magic known to man long ago,” Salsern finds a seat on a log pulling the cork of goatskin taking a long draw. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Jaydan rubs the stone watching it crumble between his fingers tips then brush it off his fingers on to his pants. “Where do we start Salsern regarding theses metals, for I have heard of this Pyondin before and it has been mentioned in my library yet very little is known about it. In fact, I have a ceremonial knife in my study which Morgan used on the boy himself,” Jaydan replied watching Salsern surprised reaction.

“You what?” Salsern demanded his voice nearly shook. Margaret quickly glanced over.

Jaydan calmly retells the day Morgan used the knife on the boy EJ a few months before he took him as his prisoner as he points to Margaret as she walks over. Salsern nods as his face frown glancing at the noonday sky. Margaret takes a seat motioning Rolen over as he ties up his horse to join them.

“Your right Jaydan we do have a bigger problem than I thought,” Salsern replied. “Yet our biggest problem is forging the metals themselves. The wizards and the craftsmen that forged them, who are now dead and with the information may have had died with them or have been lost deep in some library in the catacombs of time. I myself only know some parts needed to make the second strongest metal, for it was I that help make the sword known as Brighten, In which this lad carries now, for it also carries a wizard’s soul in prison by the name Felton Beras.”

Salsern gazed down at sword now shielded along Rolen side. “Felton was a gifted general long ago he killed in a crime of passion. The person killed was Rolen’s great, great grandmother whom you have met today. His punishment was to walk through time forever not tasting death upon his lips nor to ever find love in this world or the next. It was his Grandmother spirit who took pity on him as she haunted me every night until I gave in. To give him a second chance, if only he would protect her family for ten generations then he would be set free if that person would once more take pity on him.” 

Salsern takes another draw of water from goatskin then continues. “And if I am right this be the ninth generation so it is for you lad to make that choice. For your fathers, father and his father, he has served them well as he does for you in your time of need. You will know when the time is right my boy, yet is not today and we have a long road to travel pervading you are traveling with us?”

Rolen glanced at his horse and taking another glance around the company he is with. “Well, I don’t see why not my Majesty Salsern King of all living water,” he replied as he laughed. “I was looking for adventure and it seems that by traveling with you, I might have just found the one.”

Margaret rolled her eyes mumbled. “Foolish men and their adventures pish posh,” as she stands to look at the noonday sky. “Well, I best be going if we are going to make that coronation before something else happens and get our friend Nathaniel out of trouble again.” Not waiting for reply gets on her horse and opens a gate to Quratsa.

Reviews

[Miles W.]

An interesting chapter for this story. Things are happening at a certain pace, and we are seeing more interesting ideas being thrown around. It seems we've reached the point where we get the "Master Sword" of this story, and finally getting the pieces to destroy all evil. Again, sometimes the pacing feels a bit off with having the fact that we now have the sword and the armor of light, we also now have some more side quests necessary before we get to the final battle. There are a lot of interesting ideas here, and I do like the idea of "just because you have the ultimate weapon doesn't mean you get to go straight to the final boss and win", but it does seem like this story is trying to stretch itself out for the sake of being longer. Just me though, still enjoying the ideas and visuals that are being created. Also, while there was more talking in this chapter, there were plenty of moments where that got broken up by good visuals for the story.

[Shep]

thanks for the review and yes we are long ways for the final battle with lots of side quest this was meant to be 12 book series at least that was the plan.