The Path Of Destiny (3 page)

“Don't worry,” said the boy. “We won't tell.”

The other boys laughed and started joking among themselves
about what they had just done.

“What's going on?” asked Kelln.

“We were messing with some outsiders, that's all. Nothing
too important,” said the apparent leader of the group.

“Yah, some little kid thought he was real tough, but we
showed him,” said another.

“You mean we shoved him,” laughed a third. “Shoved him right
in the mud. He looked like a pig. Stupid outsiders!”

Darius’s breath quickened and his face reddened. He tried to
walk away and ignore the other boys. “Come on, Kelln. Let’s go.”

The first boy continued talking to them, however. “His
sister was a little excitable though. She thought she controlled the situation,
I guess. I still say she was cute enough under all that mud and water. She just
has to learn her place in life. I mean there is an order to things, right? Us
nobles, the merchants, then the outsiders.”

“I am not a pig,” mimicked one of the boys in a high girl’s
voice. “My name is Christine.”

Darius, a few yards away with his back to the young nobles,
turned around so fast that everything blurred in front of him. Some residual
effects of his manifestation of power still clung to him. He felt a new anger
build, which he hadn’t felt before. It was the power reacting to the other
boys’ conversation. “What did she look like?” asked Darius with new interest.

“Before or after she was covered in mud?” the leader laughed
with the others.

Darius, with hardly a step, appeared suddenly in front of
the braggart. He stood at least twenty pounds heavier and three inches taller
than the younger noble. “Before!”

“Well . . . she . . . ” stumbled the leader of the group as
he backed away, “she was tall for a girl, sixteen or seventeen years old,
blonde hair.”

“And the other kid?” quizzed Darius. He sensed his newfound
power surging within him. The force needed a release. He tried to keep the rage
under control. He was not used to these types of feelings. Anger emerged and
his eyes blazed bright.

“Uh . . . A few years younger than the girl. Jain, I think
it was. He was . . .”

Before anyone knew what happened, the leader of the boys
crashed to the ground with a thud. “Ouch . . .Hey . . .”

Events happened so fast that no one really noticed Darius
hadn’t used his fist. His anger rose beyond control and he thought about
knocking the other boys down, and with a quick motion of his hand, the next
thing he knew another boy was on the ground. He wanted to hit him again, but he
maintained control over the power, just barely. He struggled to maintain an
outward calm that he did not feel.

Thoughts of Christine being pushed around by these boys was
hardly more than Darius could handle. Christine Anderssn was one of the nicest
and sweetest girls he knew. Her parents, Stefen and Caroline, and her siblings,
Jain and Emily, accepted Darius’s presence with Christine quite well. Stefen
was a very educated farmer who raised cattle and grain. He taught his children
many things, including how to read and write. Increased tensions had risen
recently between the farmers and the city people, but Christine’s family seemed
to always keep a positive attitude and to do their best.

Two of the other boys in the group jumped at Darius. Kelln,
still trying to figure out what had happened, jumped in between them.

“Don’t!” he said as he tried to stop them. They pushed him
aside but the delay gave Darius time to pull the sword out from behind his
back. He held the blade by the hilt with both hands over his head. It glowed
again.

Everyone else seemed to freeze in time. Mouths hung open.
Fear spread across the leader's face as he looked up from the ground, wiping
the red blood off his nose. The other boy sat up slowly. None of them held any
weapons at all, and they recognized that the sword could slice all of them
within a few moments.

Kelln was the only one to move. He moved over to Darius and
grabbed his arm. Darius first tried to pull the hand away, but soon he seemed
to focus on Kelln and he blinked his eyes, wiping the misty rain from them.

The other boys took off running.

“Not a good way to keep a secret,” mumbled Kelln.

Darius pushed Kelln away and took off running. How could he
have let himself lose control like that? He was normally so calm. It must be
his new power. It fed on his emotions. Darius was afraid of what the power
would turn him in to. At first he had felt a profound sense of his destiny to
help others and secure the Realm. But the anger was new. He needed to learn to
balance it with a purpose.

His thoughts turned to Christine. He hoped she was not hurt.
His heart pounded with thoughts of her being pushed around by those boys. He
ran harder, down the hill from the school into the merchant section of town.
The large stone buildings with their colorful flags were blurred in his vision.
Horses tied up with their carts waited to be unloaded. Ladies with silk dresses
and bonnets had servants holding umbrellas for them in the drizzle. His steps
sounded loud on the wet cobblestone street. The guard at the north gate gave
him a quizzical stare and a shake of his head as Darius ran out of the city
with the sword swinging in his hand.

Darius panted so hard he thought he would faint. Power
continued to surge through him, pushing him harder and harder. He let the power
in, fueling his body. The exhilaration was amazing. He had never felt such raw
strength. What was this new magic that seemed to have awakened within him? Was
it an evil magic as he had been taught or was there something good to be found
in it?

Into the farmlands he ran. Orchards of fruit trees blurred
by as he pushed himself harder down the dirt road. He passed cattle grazing in
the fields, and spring vegetables just poking up out of the ground. Two deer
ran across his path, running behind a small whitewashed home with a thatch
roof, reminding him he needed to be more careful. He loved these farmlands and
the fields. To him they signified a simpler time and way of life. One that did
not hold to so many prejudices that the nobles in the city had developed over
the years. His father was one of them. Senior Councilor to King Edward, his
father, Richard San Williams, seemed to detest the “outsiders,” as he called
them. Darius didn’t understand. These were good, hardworking, simple people.

He knew he needed to slow down, but he couldn’t until he saw
Christine. Digging his feet into the mud he stopped in front of Christine’s
small wooden cottage and gulped in breaths of fresh air. He hooked his sword
through his belt and leaned over, hands on knees, until he found his breath
again. The rain stopped and he pushed his wet brown hair out of his eyes.
Christine stood on the small front porch. Spring flowers sat in pots lining the
landing to the side of the door. The thatch roof was steep and almost as low as
Christine’s head. Her simple dress held spots of mud, but she seemed to have
cleaned herself up.

She looked from Darius’s face to the sword hanging by his
side. “What’s wrong, Darius?”

Darius continued to try and slow his breathing. Taking a few
steps, he reached out and grabbed Christine in a hard hug. “I’m so sorry,
Christine. I know it isn’t fair.”

“But how did you know?” Her eyes opened wide.

Darius rubbed at his eyes, trying to get the rest of the
rainwater out. He reached over and held Christine’s hand. “Let’s take a walk.”

“In the rain?” Christine asked. Her long blond hair usually
held a slight wave, but now hung down the sides of her slender face. She ran
inside and grabbed a dry cloak to wrap around her.

Darius didn’t say anything but pulled her gently along. The
two friends walked in silence, heading farther west into the farmlands. From
the dirt road they ducked under a forest of trees onto a small path. A breeze
fluttered the oaks and birches, dripping drops of water onto their heads.
Darius glanced at Christine out of the corner of his eyes. Her long blond hair
still stuck to her head with the previous drizzle, but her green eyes sparkled
with intelligence and beauty. He breathed in deeply and then tried to exhale the
frustration of the day out of his lungs.

“Where did you get the sword?” Christine asked, breaking the
silence.

“One of Kelln’s adventures,” was all he said.

She nodded and raised her eyebrows as if knowing there was
more to the story than he was willing to tell at the moment.

Soon the two emerged from the trees onto the top of a gently
sloping hill.

Looking down, Christine whispered in a soft voice, “Look.
It's beautiful!”

Darius nodded, afraid that by speaking, the scene might
disappear. As the sun broke out from the rolling dark clouds to the west they
beheld a field of deep green, in which the recent drops of rain sparkled in the
emerging sunlight like the stars on a clear night. Beyond the grass, to the
west, lay a small, beautiful lake of clear blue, reflecting the disappearing
rain clouds. They listened to thunder rolling through the dark, shadow-filled
Superstition Mountains in the distance.

As if on cue they both began to descend the small hill.
Their wet shoes flattened the raindrops into the soft carpet of grass.

“The rainwater sparkling on the grass looks like jewels or
silver.” Christine twirled around with her arms held out from her sides. Her
dark blue cloak flew out around her wet cotton dress.

“Or like diamonds,” said Darius.

“A field of diamonds,” said Christine with excitement in her
voice. “Let's call it our Field of Diamonds.”

“OK,” agreed Darius as he walked towards a lone oak tree in
the field. Its gnarled trunk was the width of three normal trees. The newly
emerged, irregular green leaves spread a canopy over a considerable area. He
felt like a little kid hiding the secret of a faraway place. When younger he
had always dreamed of being a famous explorer or traveler.

He climbed up on a limb for a moment to view the landscape
better, but it was hard to see through all the leaves, and the droplets of
water from the leaves kept getting in his face. He poked his head through some
of the branches to see better.

“I would love to have this big tree at my house,” said
Christine.

“Why?”

“When I was younger we had a huge walnut tree almost this
big. My dad built the biggest swing coming down from it. He would push me and
Jain for hours.” Christine paused, as if seeing it play out in her mind once
again. “But one winter the snow was heavy and the tree fell. The other trees
never seemed the same.”

They walked down to the edge of the small lake and threw a
few small stones in, watching the reflection of the clouds and sky break into
tiny ripples traveling to the center of the lake.

“Christine, I don't know why they treat you so badly.
Someday I will change things. I love the Realm and I want all the people to be
treated fairly. Someday, somehow, I will make that happen.

He knew she probably didn’t believe him. What could he ever
do? He would need to try and talk to his father. When his schooling was done he
would train to be in the army. He would protect the Realm from invaders and
work to bring her people together. He didn’t want to just sit around like his
father, in an office, running errands at the whim of the King. He needed to do
something.

“Darius.” Christine lifted her hand to his face and wiped
some remaining droplets of water off with a tender touch. “Something happened
today. You seem different.” She looked him in the eyes and leaned in closer
next to him.

Darius wrapped his arm around Christine in a tight embrace
and together they watched the clouds continue their exodus towards the
mountains. Darius felt calm once again.  

A CONTEST OF WILLS

T
he city of Anikari was the
center of the Realm. It was where the King resided and where the central
government made their laws. The Realm had been founded over five hundred years
earlier by a man named Anikari. He had brought together the smaller kingdoms of
Belor, Mar, Denir, and Sur, and along with his capital city of Anikari, formed
the Realm. Bordered on the south by the Empire of Gildan, the west by the
Kingdom of Arc, the north by the forgotten lands, and the east by the Blue Sea,
the Realm had been at peace for quite a few years under King Edward and his
father, King Charles. Only recently had resistance been forming in some of the
cities and minor skirmishes had been fought on the borders with the other
kingdoms.

Being the center of the Realm, Anikari hosted many tournaments,
contests, and celebrations every year with the partial purpose to keep her
people at peace with one another. In late spring before school ended for the
noble’s children and before the heat of the summer set in, an archery contest
was held. Today was no exception. The archery contest would be the last fun
thing before the young men had to hunker down and start studying for their
graduation exams. After that they would spend the summer running errands for
the King and his councilors before advanced training or internships started up
in the fall.

Three weeks after Darius had found the sword, he and Kelln
walked across the green practice field behind the academy. This was where they
prepared for the archery contest. With his hand Darius shaded his grey eyes
from the early morning sun. On the other side of the large grass area on the
competition field, a dais was raised where the king would sit and watch the
contest. Flags from the four major cities, as well as Tean and Forest View,
joined the Anikari flag on top of a tall pole. The wind did little to lift them
up.

The two young men stopped in front of a group of younger
kids practicing their archery skills. Darius leaned down to one of them who
seemed to be struggling.

“Here, let me show you a better way to hold it,” Darius said
to the young boy.

The youngster looked up at Darius with a startled look in
his eyes. He handed the bow to Darius. “You’re the councilor’s son, aren’t
you?”

“Yes I am. My name is Darius.”

“I want to be a councilor someday,” said the young boy.

Darius reached down and showed the young boy how to hold the
bow for a more steady shot. “And why is that?”

“They get to do all the exciting things.”

Darius thought of his father and sighed deeply. His father
seemed to be behind closed doors with the King more and more lately. He was
hardly ever home. When he was it was only to tell Darius that he shouldn’t go
to the farmlands and that he needed to act more like a noble. He loved his
father, but as he got older he realized that his father just didn’t understand
him and what he wanted to do in life. All his father wanted was to look good in
front of King Edward. It was hard for Darius to watch happen. “Not everything
is exciting as a councilor. They spend a lot of time in meetings.”

The boy shrugged and then thanked Darius for the help. He
and Kelln continued walking across the practice field. Darius continued
thinking about his father and hoped that he would be there today to watch him.
It was his father who had taught him how to shoot. They used to go out each
week and practice. Though those memories were now so far between that he
couldn’t remember the last time they had spent time together.

“Darius, pay attention!” shouted Kelln.

Darius looked up to find that he was walking in front of
some other archers practicing.

“What were you doing?”

“Nothing.” Darius moved out of the archers’ way.

“We better get over to the sign-in area or you won’t have
any chance this year,” said Kelln.

“Any chance?” Darius repeated. “I’m going all the way!”

“Oh, so you’ve set your sights on the entire tournament,”
mocked Kelln. “Maybe I better give up now and just watch from the sidelines.”

“Maybe you should.” Darius laughed as he pulled back his
bowstring. Feeling the string taut in his hand, he slowly let it go. “Because
when I let this baby go, you are going to see more bulls-eyes than you've ever
seen at the noble’s tournament.”

“Well, aren’t we the big shot today?” laughed Kelln. “But I
guess you are one of the favorites to win this year.”

“I just hope I can concentrate. Christine’s going to be
here.”

“Seems like you two are inseparable these days,” Kelln
teased.

Darius blushed. “Enough about me. Do you think you’re
ready?”

“Archery is new to me, but I think I can do all right. If it
was a sword tournament I would have you beat.” Kelln puffed up. “Well, I used
to be better than you. With that new sword of yours I don’t know now.” Darius
shook his head and glanced around. “Kelln, not a word. You promised.”

“No one is around, Darius. I know you have been holding it
and practicing with it. But you don’t even talk about it at all. Come on. What
about the power? What’s going on with you?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes it’s here. Sometimes it’s not. When
it is, I can sense everything around me. It makes me think and see more
clearly.” Darius stopped talking and turned to his friend. “It’s hard to
explain.”

“Sounds fantastic.”

“And scary.”

“Yeah, I guess so, but what else can you do? You know, the
fire in the palm thing was great!”

Darius saw someone walking up from a distance. “No more,
Kelln. Not now. I need more time to figure it out.”

“Later, though. You have to talk about it.” Kelln had tried
to get Darius to open up for the past few weeks since they had found the sword
in the library basement. He wasn’t ready though. He knew that Kelln didn’t
understand. Kelln would have just rushed into things and shown his abilities to
everyone. That was Kelln though. Rash and fearless. Darius tried to determine
how he felt about it. Was it evil or not? He needed to be very very careful and
make sure that no one knew about it until he understood what he could do. He
would have to be prepared to defend his magical abilities or else he might be
banished.

“I’m going to get a drink. See you in a few minutes,” Kelln
said, walking away.

Darius tried to put his focus on the tournament and push the
thoughts of magic to the side. But it was hard. He couldn’t even explain how
afraid he felt. He hadn’t told Christine about it either, which pained him more
than anything. He hated keeping secrets from her, but he didn’t know how to
bring something like this up.
Hey Christine, nice day today, isn’t it? Did
you know I might be a wizard?
Or
don’t bother lighting that fire in your
stove; let me do that for you with my finger.

“Hey Darius,” someone yelled.

Darius turned around, saw Sean, and gave an outward moan.
Sean San Ghant, nineteen years old, and the ambitious son of a minor noble,
constantly drew attention to himself with his loud mouth. Unfortunately, he was
also one of the finest archers in the Realm.

“Is your girlfriend going to be here?” he said with his
usual mocking and whining voice.

“What?” said Darius, caught off guard by the question.

“Come on, don't pretend, Darius,” he said as he put his arm
around Darius. “I've seen you with your little farmer girl. But what would your
father say? Oh so scandalous. So many secrets, my friend. What other mysteries
do you hold inside?”

“Cut it out, Sean.” Darius pushed away from him. There was
no way Sean could know about his magic. “Don’t start this!”

“Come on, Darius, I’m just teasing. You are so touchy
lately.” Sean stood a few inches taller than Darius and rubbed his
short-cropped blond hair with his hands. Darius thought it an annoying habit
that just angered him more.

Darius turned away and studied his bowstring to take his
mind off of the older boy. Ever since they were young boys Sean had seemed to
have it out for him. He had sucked up to the councilors and tried to get the
King to notice him, and now he was distracting Darius from preparing for the tournament.
Another ploy, he was sure, to help him win.

“I guess if you can't get a city girl . . .” said Sean
behind his back.

Darius turned around with a glare, “Sean, why don't you just
shut up. She's ten times the person you are, and much smarter.” Once the words
left Darius’s mouth he realized how stupid and immature he sounded, but he
couldn't think of anything else to say at the moment.

Sean just laughed.

The power surged through Darius, flaring his anger further.

Sean turned to walk away and Darius flung his hand towards
the ground where Sean stood. Dirt rose up over the grass, forcing Sean to trip
and fall.

Kelln, coming up behind Darius, choked on his drink,
spraying drops of ale all over the front of him. He was trying not to laugh.
Darius turned to him with a glare that told him to shut up.

Sean stood up and turned towards Darius. He seemed confused
and embarrassed.

“Watch your step, Sean.” Darius smirked.

“What's the matter here?” one of the coaches asked, walking
up to them.

“Oh it’s just Sean being himself,” Darius said.

“I just asked him about his farmer girl,” Sean scowled while
wiping the dirt off his knees.

“What happened to you?” the man asked Sean.

“Nothing.”

“The contest starts in fifteen minutes. Both of you should
be getting over to the tournament field. I don't want any more trouble.”

“Yes sir,” mumbled Darius as he turned away. He didn't
remember having a temper before he had found out about his magical power. He
had to be more careful and think about the contest now; calm himself down. He
let out a deep breath, then walked away. The power rose up in him too easily
these days.

“I thought you said . . .” Kelln started.

“I lost my temper,” Darius mumbled.

“It was funny though.”

“Yes it was, wasn’t it? But I don’t like losing control.”

Darius and Kelln ran over to the competition area. Darius
squinted into the sun when he heard someone else call his name. He looked over
and his face broke into a wide smile as he saw Christine. He walked over to
them.

“Next year I'll be here,” said Jain to Darius as he walked
up. Christie and her sister, Emily, sat on the ground. They had found a spot in
the shade overlooking the tournament field. “Then they'll see that the city
people aren't always the best at everything.”

Darius smiled at Christine’s younger brother. He had grown
six inches the previous year and at barely fourteen stood eye to eye with
Christine, who was almost three years older. His hair was darker than his
siblings, taking more after their father. Always ready to jump in to defend himself,
Jain had recently begun learning from Darius how to shoot the bow and arrow.

“Yeah, if you live that long,” laughed Christine.

“Look!” Christine’s younger sister, Emily, said. She was a
mini version of her older sister, complete with blond hair, a slender build,
and almond-shaped green eyes that sparkled in the sunlight with anticipation.
At eleven years old, she was five years younger than Christine, but Emily was
forever trying to be like her older sister. She pointed towards the entrance to
the field. The rest of the crowd stood up with anticipation. Trumpets sounded,
signaling the approaching procession. Darius said goodbye and hurried back into
line with the rest of the competitors.

The competitors lined up all together, shoulder to shoulder.
Kelln stood next to Darius, with a big grin on his freckled face. Even though
he had always been good with the sword, this was his first archery competition.
He had been practicing with Darius and even though he wouldn’t win, his skills
were better than average. The thrill of being there was apparent on his face,
and he elbowed Darius in the ribs with excitement.

Darius glanced over at him, offering up a smile. The air
seemed to be filled with anticipation. This would be his last competition. He
had won his grade bracket for three out of the last five years. He hoped he
might win the King’s Cup and a medal in his final year before graduation from
the academy. It would help him in his placement in defending the Realm.

The trumpets sounded again in unison. A large archway had
appeared overnight in the south end of the field, built by the king's
carpenters. Fresh vines and flowers covered the arch. It was large enough for
at least four riders riding side by side. First came nobles from the
surrounding cities of Denir, Mar, Sur, Forest View, and Tean. They each wore
their city colors; Denir in blue, Mar in yellow, accented by a multitude of
other colors, Sur in gray, Forest View with green and black, and Tean with
earthy brown. No one in the competition this year was from Belor. There were
rumors of someone declaring himself a new leader there just a week before. A
man known only as the Preacher.

Next entered the nobles and the mayor from Anikari. They
wore the royal purple and red of the capital city. They were always held in
higher regard than the other Realm cities. The lower councilors came in next.
They, along with a king's personal councilors, made up the king’s royal
advisors. Each one today was being pulled by two large pure-white Cremelino
horses in small single chariots. Darius’s father, Richard, along with his
mother, Elizabeth, entered next. He tried to grab his father’s attention, but
his father wasn’t looking around.

After all the others were lined in place, King Edward DarSan
Montere made his grand entrance. His chariot stood larger than the councilors’
and was pulled by four of the famous Cremelino horses. The King wore the royal
crown on his head and held the royal staff, and his purple robe swirled around
his red coat. All of the colors of the Realm streamed from the back of his
chariot. The King entered last as an ancient sign of humility. Darius laughed
inside at the irony of it. He also wondered why the King and nobles all wore
such uncomfortable clothes. The heat would be unbearable in the heavy layered
outfits.