Chapter Thirty Four: (Fork in the road)

Chapter: 34 (Fork in the road)

 

 

 

 

            I just wanted my old life back. I did not want any of this. I did not want the Guild and I didn’t want Zavion. I wanted my parents back and I wanted to go to school and finish my book report. I wanted to forget any of this had happened. How could I do that? What about Nick?

            I pulled out of Addison’s embrace as I wiped my nose and eyes on the sleeve of my shirt. I looked over at Nicholas. He hadn’t moved at all since he had fell to the ground after his fight with the Guild member who was now dead, covered under a filthy, thin sheet.

            I shook my head in confusion as I thought back to what he had said right before his life ended. He had said that the Guild was a group of monsters. They were no better then Zavion, but how could that be? He had kidnapped my parents and brought us into this terrible situation to begin with. If it wasn’t for him we would have never even known the Guild existed.

            I took a wavering breath and crossed the short distance between Nicholas and me. I sat down beside him and looked at his face. He had not looked up when I sat down beside him. He was still staring blankly at his hands which sat open in his lap. There were a few drops of blood on his palms from the man.

            “It wasn’t your fault, you know,” I whispered as I rested my hand on his lap.

            “He wasn’t going to make it anyway. Whoever did that to him hadn’t wanted him to be able to walk away.” I said hoping that my words would crack through the ice inside of his eyes. I waited a few moments hoping that he would come out of it. I was just about to stand up and walk back to Addison and Jackson to figure out what we were going to do next, before he finally looked over at me.

            “It’s not that. I know I didn’t kill him.” He spoke softly. His eyes focusing in on mine like a beacon.

            “The Guild has trained me to know death, to become accustomed to it.” He sighed tiredly and looked down at his hands.

            “I lost control. I reacted without thinking and now I could have lost my only chance.” He growled out the last word between gritted teeth. His hands now balled into fists on his lap. The tendons in his arms drawing out like tight cords beneath his skin.

            “You lost your last chance at what?” I asked. My eyebrows drew together in confusion. He looked up at me again and his face was wearing a mask of hardened emotions but his eyes harbored long years of sadness.

            “My father,” He explained. “I think he knew my father.” His voice began to sound more like him now. Energy was in every word.

            “I don’t mean back then either, before he was exiled.” His voice rose in excitement.

            “I think he knew him recently.” He sat up straighter as he spoke animatedly. “I think my father could be-“

            “Alive and well and not as far away as you have always thought he was?” A voice chimed in from one of the hallways connected to the room. We all looked up in surprise. Nicholas sprung to his feet and turned to face the alcove. I scrambled up as well but not even half as quickly or smoothly.

            Jackson and Addison were at our sides by the time I scrambled to my feet. My legs tingling from being on the floor, I held one hand out to Nicholas for support.

            The man was nearly eight inches taller then Nicholas but besides that he had the same strong jaw, dark wavy hair, brilliant green eyes and the same calm crooked grin on his face that I had seen on Nicholas’s so many times.

            I felt Nicholas stiffen under my hand. The man whom I assumed was Nichols’s father stepped into the room a little bit farther. I felt Nicholas take a small step back. His father noticed the small movement and halted his approach. He stood still for a long moment and looked at the four of us before gazing intently at Nick.

            “Nicholas,” He said in a low voice.” It has been a long time son.” He spoke to nick the same way you would speak to a frightened dog, soft and calm so that you don’t scare them away.

            “What are you doing here?” Nick asked as he took a deep breath and stood up straight. He had seemed to regain his composure as he squared his shoulders and lifted his head up high. I noticed that the muscle in his jaw was tight as I gazed over at him.

            “Please,” His father said as he spread his hands out to us. “Let’s all sit down and I think I can explain a lot of this.” He smiled a bit and took a few steps towards us.

            We all looked over at Nicholas for direction. This was his father. He knew him better then any of us and he would know whether to trust him or not. Nick hesitated for just a brief moment before walking over to the stack of chairs and swinging one down to use. He stayed a few feet away from his father and his face was still guarded but I took it as a sign that we could trust him for the time being. We all gathered around Nicholas while giving the man a wide birth, but we stayed quiet.

            “My name is Mordant Nicholas Forral.” He looked at Addison and Jackson and me before turning to look over at Nick.

            “I am Nicholas’s Father.” He spoke proudly before looking into nick’s eyes and speaking to him. I felt as though I were an intruder that was intruding on a very private reunion.

            “I can’t imagine the pain you have had to endure son.” He spoke softly to Nick. He had his head drooped low and his shoulders sagged as if the had to carry many years of pain.

            “I never wanted to leave but the guild; they gave me no other choice. It was either leave and relinquish the stone over to the council or they would have killed me.” His eyes lost their brilliant green shine as he spoke.

            “The Guild isn’t what you think. The stories I am sure that they have told you make me look like the monster but it’s not true.” He looked up at all of us then and spoke with fury dancing off of his gritted teeth.

            “I wanted to keep the stones yes, but not for my own resources. The magic held within the Essence Stones feeds a whole world of magical creatures and elements. If we do as the Guild wishes and put the Stones back into the womb of the earth these magical beings would die off one by one. They would slowly starve to death, unable to find the magical elements they need to survive.” He explained slowly so that we could understand.

            “I am sure the Guild has told you all that I wanted to keep the stones for my own use but they lied.” He looked over to Nicholas and held his hands out as if begging.

            “That night that they cast me away and stripped me of my oath.” His face turned dark as if he was remembering every detail.

            “I had been summoned to a council meeting. They had wanted to keep all of the stones inside the council. Sawaya wanted control of all four stones He had become power hungry and has grown steadily worse ever since.”  Nicholas’s father stared down at the floor now with his hands crossed in front of him.

            “I tried to tell him that the reason the first council had appointed one stone per person was because so much power was not meant for one person to carry. I tried to warn them that the weight of that burden would crush the person’s soul and turn towards darkness. They banished me for fighting them on their decision.” He growled.

            “After I was banished I didn’t know what to do or where to go.” He looked down at Nick with sad eyes.

            “I couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing you again but I also knew that with my oath being stripped from me that I would never be able to find the Guild again without help.” His eyes glossed over for a short second before he continued.

            “That is when Zavion found me.” At the mention of Zavion’s name I felt all three boys tighten with apprehension.

            “You are working with Zavion?” Nicholas spat out with disgust. “How could you work with him?” His eyes flared in hatred that only someone who has lived in a world where he was raised to fight against the man could feel. Nicholas’s father sat up straight and spoke in a soothing voice to calm his son.

            “The Guild has programmed you to think of him as an enemy.” His eyes scanned all of us as he spoke.

            “The Guild sees him as an enemy. Someone who wants to use the Essence stones to rule the world but it is the Guild who harnesses these evil intentions, not Zavion.” His strong words left me feeling confused. Who was the real enemy here?

            “The Guild started the Blood wars with Zavion to steal the Stones from him and yes He did not want to lose them but only because he knew what the Guild would do once the stones were in their power.” His eyes locked onto me and he studied Addison and me for a long moment before continuing.

            “That is why your parents left the Guild.” His eyes burned into me as he spoke.

            “They finally figured out that the Guild was turning and made the decision to get out while they still could.”

            “No!” I heard Addison shout beside me. The outburst forced me to look over at Addison. He had taken a few steps closer to Nicholas’s father with his hands his hands balled around Nalaheim’s sword in anger. Nick’s father looked quickly to Addison and the sword. His eyes flashed momentarily in excitement.

            “My parents left the guild so we could live a normal life.” He growled at Mordant with his teeth clenched and his arms taunt with anger.

            “That was merely a bonus, my boy.” The man smiled as he spoke. “Yes they wanted you to be raised without the Guild and gain a childhood that they had not been able to receive.” He spoke to Addison in a sweet voice like velvet. He spoke to Addison just as Nicholas had spoke to Gray.

            “But they were aware of Sawaya’s bad intentions. That is why they left and Zavion seeked them out to try to come to a mutual decision.” This angered Addison even more. He stepped forward and raised the Blessed steel onto his hip. He was steady on his feet and ready to attack if need be. I felt Nicholas tense behind me. After all this was his father.

            “Zavion attacked and abducted out parents.” He screamed, “We saw it happen. He attacked us just to get away. He wanted the stones. My parents had said they would rather die then give the stone to him.” Nick’s father looked taken aback and took a small step backwards involuntarily at Addison’s outburst. After a short second his face turned calm and confident again before speaking to Addison.

            “That was a misunderstanding Addison.” He smiled widely as he spoke. “If it makes you feel any better you can ask your parents yourself.” He offered as he turned away from Addison and began to head back towards the dark corridor he had entered from.

            Addison slowly lowered his sword and turned uncertainly back to look at us. His face was chalky white and his brows were knitted together in confusion. I am sure that my face easily mirrored his.