Tranquil Fury (28 page)

The room may have been dark, and John may have considered the elf culture to be primitive, but the Earth Mother’s words changed everything. John had tutored some students who did not realize how well they understood the material, and he would build up their confidence, so they would pass tests that they thought they would fail. There were also students, whom he really did not like. He would take the lessons to the extreme, quiz them harder, undermine their certainty. They would still pass, but not earn the grade they truly deserved, nerd revenge. History was rife with examples of people that did not know what would happen, but had the conviction to embrace their destination, and arrived at it. It was also ripe with smelly failure, where the same conviction ended up in a dark corner where it rotted, unfounded, except for the historians that wrote about it. It made perfect sense, and was even logical. The messages that the Earth Mother was going to deliver would be, and would not be the truth. If all events happened as Mother thought, then true the messages are. It would be like telling somebody if they cross the finish line first, they win the race. And if they do, then it is true, but if they don’t, then they do not win, but the message was not about losing, it was about winning. It was like wrapping an untruth around a truth, until the race is over, you don’t know if the original statement, or its reverse is true. Other variables would influence the result, but one statement at the beginning had the ability to set the initial direction. After all, it is harder to build somebody’s confidence up, much easier to tear it down.
Words can shape the future
. John noticed the Earth Mother staring at him, unaware of how long he had been thinking, “I understand.”

 “This does please me friend John. Now, Mother does send thou two messages, one may be true, both may naught. As I does say, the future unknown it does be. Mother does wish me to tell thou, thine knowledge great, lands and people transform, thou wilt. Gifts great, thou wilt render, bring forth, change forever that which Mother does love. She does both bless and curse thou for this. That one I does understand, her second message, I does naught. Message second does be this, that what thou does want most, that what thou does naught think possible, it does be possible. Vague it does be, I does naught know if future does be unseen, or if Mother does try to protect thou or her.”

John thought of his parents and his home, had pushed those thoughts and memories to the back of his mind, locked them away, and surrendered himself to this world. When the Earth Mother spoke those words, the lock shattered, the memory vault cracked open, and all of those images, and memories spilled out in an effort to crawl forward. He gave his head a shake, forced them back into the vault, slammed the imaginary door shut, and locked away the memories that brought him so much joy. So much pain.

“Friend John, Mother does have one more message, though strange it does be. A lady does wait for thou? Does seek thine embrace?”

 “What? That is a …”

 “Her name does be strange, pronounce it right I hope I does. Mother does call her Science.”

John’s jaw slowly fell open. He was undecided if this was a trick to make him believe in Mother, so that he in turn would make Lauren believe in her. Or could it be possible, that this world was not void of science after all?

The Earth Mother clapped her hands, and Alron, still holding the candle, opened the door. John had a million questions he wanted to ask, but before he realized it, he was standing in front of his bedroom door, and Alron was gone.

Chapter 21

It was a pleasant surprise for Gor to walk into his kitchen, and inhale the aroma of the hot bean juice. Mirtza was on his third cup, “Gor, I hope you are not upset. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Privileged you are, not elf on elf quest. Imagine you nervous?”

 “Nervous, privileged. I am not sure what I am feeling. Never did I imagine my simple trip would lead to such a great event. Being here at Ironhouse for almost a month, I still don’t know what to make of everything. The others will be rising soon, and I want to make sure that all is ready.” Mirtza headed down to the stables, ignoring Gor’s breakfast inquiries.

The six elves entered the kitchen shortly after Mirtza left, and Alron went to wake Logan and Lauren. When he returned, Gor advised that Mirtza was already in the stables, then handed him several baskets of food, “My heart heavy this day is. Greatly miss her I will. Journey safe friend.”

Alron handed the baskets to the Dawnfalcons, “It does be a sad day, but a long life Earth Mother does live. Rest well deserved does wait her. Panry, with me, Earth Mother we does escort.”

Panry and Alron headed out of the kitchen, while the remaining elves went to the stable. Lauren, who had showered and packed a change of clothes, entered the kitchen with her tri-wood staff in hand, and Logan looked as though he had rolled down the stairs. Gor handed them a small breakfast basket, along with three metal flasks. One with tea for Lauren, and two filled with hot bean juice for Logan.

 “Stables, now. Waiting elf, find you will,” said Gor.

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In the stables, Mirtza had brought forth the wagon, and made sure that all the chests were in working order. In one of the stalls, he had brought forth the eight-legged horses, the stall boards hiding their magic legacy, and the wagon was pointed towards the stable exit, so the Earth Mother could easily get in the back of it. Mirtza did not want to chance the Earth Mother seeing the impure magical steeds, nor did he want to take the chance of being surprised by black-clad soldiers, and having to rely on the slow moving oxen to get them to safety, and hoped that Alron would agree with his choice.

Mirtza waited for about an hour before the first elves entered the stable, placed the food baskets in the wagon, and saddled their stags. They were quiet, and Mirtza felt it best to leave them to their own thoughts. The argument between Lauren and Logan announced their presence long before they entered the stables, and over the next thirty minutes, the Ironhouse clan, and the remaining bus mates trickled in, ending with John. As the first sun announced the day, the far door opened and the Earth Mother entered, clutching her Ironwood staff, and slowly hobbled towards the wagon, Gingaar by her side, and Alron and Panry following solemnly behind. As she passed by each of the dwarves, they would bow to her, and Lauren and her friends did the same—a sign of respect, that they all understood. Alron had brought down cushions and blankets the night before, which Mirtza had already placed in the wagon, and in quiet reverence, she made her way to the wagon, and sat down on the back tailgate.

The Master Weapon Smith was the first to approach her. He talked for a few minutes, and then kissed her hand before rejoining his clan, and then, one by one, his sons went over to say their last words to the Earth Mother. Fodu presented her with a brooch that featured an image of an Ironwood tree. She accepted it humbly with a smile, but when Gor presented her with a large silver flask, it prompted an even bigger smile.

Without realizing it, John had walked over to her, looked into her eyes, began to cry.

 “Friend John. Sorrowful this does naught be, Mother I does go to, and long hath I waited to join her. Mine journey does end, but thine journey does begin. Should thine friends come to thou, ask thou to make sense of mine words, does be careful of what thou does say, as rivers does flow through thine hands, cautious be of what changes thou does make. I does think thine friends wilt lean on thou much, and strength thou will need.” She then pushed her Ironwood staff, two inches thick, straight, and solid, away from her, and into John’s hands. “Aide thou it shalt friend John, for thine mind does be strong, but thine body does naught be.”

Her words from last night were like a ball bearing, and his brain like one of his father’s antique pinball machines in the basement. The words were still bouncing off the bumpers in his head, lights flashing, buzzers buzzing, and the damned ball wouldn’t stay still long enough for him to understand what was happening. She then reached over to him, pulled him close, and kissed him on the forehead, “Mother does bless thou.” John fought the tears as he headed to the far side of the stables, with the heavy Ironwood staff in his hands. The words from the night before, screamed from the imaginary speakers of the pinball machine in his head,
that what thou does want thine most, that what thou does naught think possible, it does be possible
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Next in line, Eric approached, dressed in his dwarf armor, “I am so…”

 “Friend Eric, strong thou does be. Champion, thou does be charged with saving Mother ‘s children, but select well she does.” Eric, too choked up to say anything, wiped away the tears that were beginning to form, then she reached out to his arm, pulled him close and whispered into his ear. When done, she also kissed him on the forehead, “Mother does bless thou.”

Zack, thinking it was fitting, and if there really was a Mother, he did not want to piss her off, went over as well, “Dudette, Earth Mother. We did not spend much time together, but it was a pleasure to meet you,” but his face conveyed no emotions. She reached out to him, pulled him close, whispered into his ear, and when she was done, she kissed his forehead, and gave him Mother’s blessings. Tear ducts long ago drained, thought unable to function, transformed. Zack brought his hands up to his face, tried to hide the tears as he walked over to Eric and John.

Ryan was the last, behind his back, he held a bouquet of field flowers, which he presented to the Earth Mother. Much like the rest, Ryan was also fighting back tears. Once again, the Earth Mother pulled her visitor close, whispered into his ear, and when she was done, she kissed her last forehead, gave her last blessing.

After Ryan joined the others, Alron walked to the back of the wagon, “Friends, thank thou I does. Thine heart felt emotions, support, and caring does truly be appreciated. I does wish that longer we canst spend, but Mother does call.” He then whistled, the elves took to their stags, Logan got on his pony, and Mirtza backed the team of horses out of the stall so he could hitch them to the wagon. And Lauren and Gingaar hopped in the back to see to the Earth Mother’s comfort. When Alron was sure that all were ready, he closed the back of the wagon and whistled one more time. Bor had already opened the stable doors, and the Dawnfalcons galloped their stags into the new day, the procession following behind. Those that remained in the Ironhouse Mine watched until they could no longer make out the Earth Mothers escort, and then quietly re-entered the mine.

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John wandered out onto the terrace, the last sun low in the sky, and mountains silhouettes wallpapered their view this night. Zack was sitting at the large table, a pitcher of ale with several mugs in front of him—his unique, non-verbal way of conveying a request for company.

John accepted the invitation, poured himself a mug of ale, and sat down, “Strange day today?”

 “What is the truth John? Does it really exist, or is everything a lie? Is that the only truth?”

 “I don’t understand the question?”

 “Does truth have some sort of expiration date on it? When I sat down, the pitcher was full. True. Yet several minutes later, the pitcher is not full, the previous statement about the contents, now a lie. What is truth, how long does it last? My mother told me she would love me forever, I thought that was the truth, but it wasn’t.”

“What’s bothering you?”

Zack sat up and refilled his mug, “I always thought that truth was like water. It seems real, you can reach out, touch it, but try to hold it in your hands, you can’t. It runs through your fingers, goes away, like it was never there.” Then he sat there looking at the painted sky, silent as the mountains, but after several minutes, he spoke again, “The Earth Mother, she told me something this morning, and told you something as well. Was it true?”

 “What did she tell you?”

 “The contents of her statement are not the question. Were her words truthful, or were they a lie? The words she spoke this morning, were they true? I need to know.”

Though Zack wasn’t facing him, John could see him wipe away a single tear from his eye. He thought back to the words that the Earth Mother had said, called him weak, smart, and reinforced her warning from the night before, that he could change the future with his words.
Smart old bird.
“Zack, this is the honest truth. The words she spoke to me this morning, I know them all to be true.” John then drained the last of his mug before heading off to his room. The words from the night before, would haunt his dreams for a very long time.

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The Earth Mother reached up and caressed Lauren’s cheek, “Please does naught cry Earth Daughter. This does naught hath to be sad, as I does go to be with Mother. Long hath I waited for mine trip, for mine Mother’s embrace. Earth Daughter, four days only does we hath to talk, and when I does be with Mother, then thou can mourn or celebrate as thou does see fit.”

Lauren wiped the tears from her eyes, “I don’t know where to start. What to say.”

 “Then for now, let Earth Mother talk. Of mine childhood, what I hath seen, done, and thou canst listen.” And for the rest of the day the Earth Mother talked about her youth, the training, the Earth Mothers before her and much more. Occasionally she would fall asleep, but when she awoke, she would restart exactly where she left off.

With the Dawnfalcons as front guard, Panry as the sole rear guard, the escort made good time, and when the Earth Mother would doze off, Mirtza would get the horses to go faster. When he heard her talking again, he would slow them down. Alron, aware of what Mirtza was doing was pleased. When Mirtza inquired about stopping for a midday meal, Alron shook his head, so Mirtza passed a platinum ring to Lauren, so she would be able to get any food required from the chests.