FF Chapter 7

Returning home with his newest friend, Alex is greeted by his less-than-thrilled family.

Chapter 7

      The pair snuck in the side door, which was never locked, and crept through the silent library. Candles were still lit, the flames struggling to escape their glass prisons. That meant that everyone else was still awake.

      “I think the coast is clear. They might all be in the basement.” Alex whispered. “Hide in the area between local politics and local history, no one ever goes there.” He gestured to the section, and led her along quietly.

      A feminine voice rang out. “Aren’t you a bit young to be bringing girls home?”

      Alex recoiled, and glanced at the opposite balcony. A woman was leaning over the second story railing. “Oh…Um, hi Aunt Lo. Please don’t tell Uncle Bor.” Alex pleaded.

      “Don’t tell me what?” The smug sound came from the balcony directly above the pair. Future, in his young form, looked down at them and waved. Winchester and Erald also emerged from their spots, having been watching for Alex at the other exits.

      “There’s no way I was sneaking back inside, was there.” Alex lamented.

      “Not unless you can turn invisible.” Winchester grunted.

     Erald stepped forward. “Alexander, would you please introduce us to your friend?”

      “This is…” It was then he realized, he’d never asked! “Um…”

      Erald was annoyed “Don’t tell me you forgot to introduce yourself? Did I spend all those years teaching you manners just so you could forget them?”

      “No sir.” He turned to his guest. “Alexander Abaven.” He bowed to the girl. “But please, call me Alex.”

      “I’m Eira.” She curtsied expertly.

      Erald tapped his toes. “And what could have been so important that you forgot your manners?”

      Eira started to explain “I was attacked by some d-” Alex gave her a pleading look, and she remembered her promise. “D-dirty scoundrels. Alex rescued me, and said this would be a safe place for me to hide.”

      Erald smiled at his pupil. “He spoke the truth. You may stay until morning, and we shall protect you with all the considerable strength we possess.”

      Lo smirked. “Typical of a knight, pledging loyalty to a girl he just met.”

      “Chivalry is not dead, despite the best efforts of people like you.” He shot back jokingly.

      Winchester shuffled forward. “Stop bickering you two, we have even more company.” He pointed his cane towards the main door.

      Everyone took up positions in front of the wooden barricade, with Eira behind them all, when a pounding rang out. “This is the Captain of the Guard! We know you’re in there! Give us back Princess Eira or we’ll bust down this door!”

      “Dirty scoundrels indeed.” Lo smirked at the princess, who was absolutely petrified.

      Future stepped forward. “Don’t worry. We’ll protect you. We wouldn’t want to make liars out of anyone.” He glanced at Alex and Erald, who both smiled sheepishly.

      This might be a trap. Future worried. One look to his group, and everyone understood; prepare for a fight.

      With a wave of his hand, Future commanded the doors to open. Guards poured in, but the group stood their ground and stared them down.

      A man in full armour with a feather plume on his helmet stepped forward. “I am Johnathan Erocard the Third, Captain of the Royal Guard!” He announced himself.

      “Good evening.” Future mumbled, leaning on his staff. The guards had their weapons drawn, but Future was unimpressed, and talked as though he had nothing to fear.

      “Hand over the princess!” Captain Johnathan demanded, looking around the room for the little girl.

      Future was unmoved. “The princess is here of her own free will. YOU are the one coming to kidnap her. Go tell your leader to come himself.”

      Johnathan’s face went red! “How DARE you!” He pulled off a gauntlet and showed a red mark on his arm. It glowed as he flexed his power. “I have killed ten Dan’darun beasts! I could break you in half with one hand.”

      Winchester chuckled from his place in the back, and Future joined him. “So?” He shrugged and gestured behind him. “That man, Erald of Murshur, has killed fifty.” Erald bowed. “While the beautiful Lo, who’s up on that balcony lining up a shot, has killed even more.” Lo gave a small wave. “Would the two of you mind giving the Captain some…perspective?” Future chuckled.

      Both Erald and Lo raised their hands, and charge their energy. In seconds it dwarfed what The Captain had displayed.

      All the strangers, including Eira, were terrified by the demonstration. The princess watched with wonder and fear. THIS was the family Alex was talking about. Compared to them, Alex almost seemed normal.

      His audience now fully alert, Future held up his wooden staff. “And I am Future, Right-Hand of Fate.” He slammed the staff down with a loud thud and backed away, but the wooden pole remained standing.

      All eyes were on the staff, as the wood twisted and sprang to life. Vines and branches jumped at the guards, while roots tangled into the floorboards, turning the very ground against them. Future walked forward, his wooden minions pushing all the guards out the door. “Tell that imposter Gaius that Future demands he come, ALONE!” He slammed the door, and twisted the wood closed, sealing the building tight.

 

      “Well that went well.” Winchester grinned.

      Future turned to Eira, who was suddenly very reverent to the man. “You will sleep here tonight. Alexander!” The boy shot to attention. “Come with me, you have some explaining to do.” A dark chill dripped down the boy’s spine, but he followed his Uncle Bor.

      Eira was left alone with Winchester, Erald, and Lo. The three smiled warmly at the newcomer, who asked “Was-Was what that guy said true. Is he really the Future, and have you guys really killed that many Dan’darun?”

      Erald smiled. “He is, and we have.”

      “Don’t you get stronger with each dralg you kill?” She asked, and they nodded. “Then…just how powerful are you?”

      “Not that powerful, unfortunately.” Winchester sat down at the wooden table, and motioned for everyone else to pull up a chair. His hip was starting to hurt from standing too long. “We are, what is called, ‘ageless’. Our bodies are frozen in time. We cannot age, our bodies don’t need food or water, but our powers also become frozen. No matter how many Dan’darun we kill, our powers will no longer increase.”

      Lo slouched in her chair. “That’s why it’s a waiting game, balancing between beast mark power and physical prime. Winchester here was made ageless too late; if we’d held off, Erald and I would be more powerful, but less spry.”

      “So where does Alex fit into this? Is he ageless too?” Eira asked, intrigued.

      Winchester spoke up. “No, he isn’t. If he was, he’d be stuck as a child forever. No, he’s special. He acquired his mark when he was only eight, which means he has plenty of time to train. One day he may even surpass us.”

      Erald quoted a bard. “The more power you have, the easier it is to acquire more.”

      Winchester mumbled “but the greater the hunger for more becomes. A viscous cycle one must guard against.”

      Lo smiled “although Alex seems to be quite resistant to that particular hunger, thankfully. He’s enough trouble as it is.”

      Eira smiled “I’ll say. He defeated those dralgs like they were nothing!” She chuckled, and then noticed everyone was staring at her. She slapped her hands over her mouth; she’d broken her promise!

      Lo narrowed her eyes, and glared like a hawk. It was a gaze Alex had quickly learned to fear. “What do you mean, ‘those dralgs’?”

      “Um, well…there were two dralg chasing me, and…Alex killed them.”

      Erald laughed “So the kid has three marks now? Amazing!”

      Lo couldn’t help but smile in pride at her student “He probably could’ve take most of those guards on his own, we’d just have to smack around that pompous Captain.”

      “So he really IS that strong.” Eira marveled.

      Lo chuckled “He’s stronger than most adults, just not the ones here. The kid will only get stronger with age, so we have people here who can train someone like him and keep him in line.”

      Eira nearly jumped out of her seat. “Then train me!” She demanded.

      Lo laughed “No offense princess, but we’re not for hire.”

      Eira got indignant. “But you have to! I don’t need to go back with my father tomorrow, you can keep me here and train me, like Alex, right?”

      The three old soldiers shared a look.

      “Whatever is the matter?” Erald asked in a kindly manner.

      The princess shifted in her chair, but retained perfect posture. “My father won’t let me go to the Yanus Academy.” She stated. “He wants me to be a good little heiress and attend his ‘Royal Institute for Gifted Students’, where I can sit around doing nothing, and graduate quickly.”

      “And what is it about the academy that draws you to it?” Winchester asked, smiling.

      Eira chose her words carefully. “If I pass some of the programs at Yanus Academy, or graduate with honours, they take you out to get a beast mark.”

      Erald was startled “and what does a noble young lady like you want with a beast mark?”

      “Because everything is better if you have a mark.” She stated matter-of-factly.

      Lo laughed, and hugged the little princess. “I envy how you are right now, actually; because right now you think you know everything, but one day you’ll be as clueless as the rest of us. Even Future doesn’t know what he’s doing half the time.”

 

      She was right. After the children were sent directly to bed, not even passing through the infinite staircase, Future gathered the others. “Alex said he chased one of his playing cards off the roof, and then ran into Eira, who was being chased by dralgs. He couldn’t just leave her alone, so he decided to help.”

      “We cannot punish the boy for doing exactly what we trained him to do.” Erald said.

      “But we can reprimand him for doing it too early!” Winchester grunted.

      Future stroked his chin thoughtfully. “From everything Alex told me, those dralgs weren’t acting like mindless beasts; they were on a mission. Luck was commanding them, so that girl is important too.”

      “It also means she now knows about Alex.” Lo cautioned. “We can’t keep him hidden anymore.”

      Future sighed “I know…I was just hoping for more time. We’ll see how things play out in the morning. Everyone get some sleep, we might have a long day ahead of us.” While everyone else went to bed, Future descended the infinite staircase. He had to commune with his master.