Wielder of the Flame (53 page)

I know this has been hard for you Marcus, it will only continue
to be harder, but you will also be strengthened to rise to the challenge,
mentally, physically, spiritually. You will not be alone.

“No,” Puck said, “You will not. We will be here for you, all
of us.”

“Yes,” Zildjin nodded, “All of us!”

“What did you mean,” Sesuadra asked, “that I would come to
know her?”

But Drake spoke before the Oracle could reply.

“I am sorry to interrupt,” Drake said, “But, I have been
patient for so long, when I spoke to you before, in the scry-glass Cydas gave
me, you said that you would have more answers for me. I—I need them.” He
finished.

Yes.

The Oracle replied.

As I said before, there is much to speak of, and little
time.

“How little time?” Laura said, wiping away her tears.

It is difficult to tell. My magic is capable of so much,
I must decipher and interpret and judge, and not everything is perfect.

She paused.

A matter of days.

“A matter of days!” Laura cried, “How could we hope to reach
Sulendald in time?”

You must walk the Unseen paths, Laura, you could arrive
there in an instant.

“Me? Alone?” A fear crept over her, “I cannot go back to
Sulendald alone. Those—things.” She shuddered.

You will not go alone. You must take the others with you.

“Take the others? But I have only just gone from moving
things
to traveling the unseen paths myself, and not well I may add.”

I will help you as I can. This place is filled with
power. And you have a crystal shard, a piece from the stone that is the heart
of all magic. Even the tiniest of pieces can strengthen a magic user’s power
immensely.

“It does,” Puck said, “I was able to wield my magic, even at
the most extremes of exhaustion.”

“What can we learn, then, from you, before we must go? What
were you going to tell us all?” Marc asked.

Yes, First, the map.

She replied.

It is a relic of great and ancient magic. The two beings
who brought you here, Marcus, helped in its creation. All who know of its
secrets, besides me, are now dead. The Keeper was the last. He passed on his
knowledge of it to me just before he died. Open it now, and as you and I gaze
upon it together its secrets will be able to be seen by all of us. It is part
of the function of the map’s enchantments.

“We have seen that in it work before,” Laura said.

Very good.

Marc stood and as he did so a table of mist appeared for him
to lay the map upon it. The beds of the others moved as well, morphing into
chairs. Marc’s chair transformed and moved to the table like the others and he
sat down on it.

You discovered the ruins of Zheund then, so the vision of
the Fae Ones
did
occur?

Laura and Marc nodded.

Laura briefly recounted her experience with the being that
also brought Marc to Lyrridia.

I did not foresee that.

The Oracle replied.

But I am grateful, for it was the last crystal shard that
the Keeper spoke of, and he was unable to impart much about it before his
death.

As you already know, the orbs that would have allowed for
instantaneous travel and retrieval of the crystal pieces, were shattered, but
the map remains and so too does the need to retrieve the crystal shards.

First, you have in your possession one of the crystal
shards. Given to The Champion for safekeeping, after his death it was passed
down through the generations until it came to your sister, Puck, Aliyana. And
now it is here. It is a good beginning.

They looked at the lights on the map, one shining in
Fallhaven.

“Who is—was The Champion?” Marc asked.

One of the Ascendant Sages, he was a combat mage,
specializing in battle magic.

Next, I shall speak of the elves.

“The elves?” Zildjin interrupted.

Yes, the elves still live, and survive, but they are only
a small fraction of the magnificent race they once were. For hundreds of cycles
they have survived, inching further and further into the woods over time until
they have settled here.

As they watched the words THE DARK FOREST appeared on the
map.

Deep within the WildLands lies their home, at the heart
of this vast and dark forest. They have a crystal shard within their
possession. The Keeper said that gathering this crystal shard first would
greatly aid you on your quest.

“But how will we get there?” Puck looked at the map
incredulously, “The Wildlands is teeming with dangerous beasts of all kinds.”

Please,
The Oracle communicated,
Allow me to relay
the information the Keeper imparted to me. I do not have all the answers but I
am trying to give you all the help I can.

Puck nodded and they all remained silent as she continued to
speak.

Next is one that I am not so sure on. The Keeper told me
one thing, but I have been struggling to see it in visions. The Keeper said
that atop the tallest mountain stands a magical stone guardian. He must be
defeated or somehow bypassed to retrieve the crystal shard.

DEATH’S PEAK appeared on the map.

Next is a place where an ancient palace and city have
been frozen under an immense blanket of seemingly impenetrable ice. The ice
must be broken and the palace uncovered, for the crystal lies within the
palace.

The words SHIMMERING VALLEY appeared on the enchanted
parchment.

Pen-ultimately, near the Shimmering Valley lies a vast
canyon where the bones of a colossal being from the Illuminated Era, lie, and
within it, another crystal shard.

The words CANYON OF BONES appeared on the map.

Drake, along with the crystal, some answers lie there for
you as well. And lastly, it seems that the Exalted have already visited Laura
and showed her the secrets of the ruins of Zheund.

Laura nodded.

That is all I know, the most that I can give you.

Marc rolled the map up and placed it back in its container.

Now, I wish to speak with you all individually.

I wish to show you all the rest of the visions I have had
of each of you. Things are getting difficult to see, difficult to decipher.

She struggled for words.

Before it was like standing in a shallow stream of softly
flowing water. I could see clear to the bottom, picking out certain instances
of time in the future and past like picking out certain pebbles from underneath
the surface.

She paused again.

Now, however, your futures are combining as one, weaving
together like infinite strands in a great tapestry.

Joined with your extraordinary abilities and potential,
that stream has now become a raging river of increasing depth, and equal
difficulty, to even see the pebbles without diving in, fighting the current.

Marcus, I will speak with you first.

 “Come,” Cydas said from the higher elevated spot he stood,
next to the doors. He motioned for everyone but Marc to come back into the
hall.

Everyone except for Marc stood from the table, their chairs
vanishing.

They went up the steps and followed Cydas back down the hall
and to the platform to take them back up.

The door closed behind Cydas with a soft thud.

The Oracle locked eyes with Marc.

Now,
she said,
Sit with me, and I will show you
all that I can, for now.

Marc’s chair appeared again, almost
like a bed, and he lay in it.

Close your eyes.
The Oracle said,
and try and ease
your mind.

Marc opened his eyes and found himself on a plain of endless
green grass and infinite blue sky. He sat up.

A voice echoed in the background like the sound of rolling
thunder until it came to the forefront of everything.

“Marc.” A voice to his right said simply.

Marc turned to see a stranger covered with a long white
cloak and hood. A shiny silver belt was tied around his waist.

“It is good to see you.” Another voice said to his left.
Marc turned to face the new arrival. It was another figure but this one was
cloaked all in black with a dark hood and had a belt, colored like dark blood,
tied around his waist.

“Who are you?” Marc stood up and faced the two of them.

“We are
you
, Marc.” They said in perfect unison. “We
are your thoughts, and your actions. We are your conscience and your
consciousness. We are night and day, light and dark, good and evil, black and
white.”

“What do you want?” Marc was confused.

“It is not what we want Marc, it is what
you
want. We
are here to show you the things that may, or may not come to pass. We are here
to show you… your FUTURE!!” And as their voices exploded, everything around
Marc erupted in a flash of light and Marc saw pictures and visions of people
and events flood through him and over him. He was flying over time and space,
seeing quick passing images of his life.

He saw six shards of crystal, each a different size and
shape, all black and reflecting his face, all fitting together to form a large
chunk, shining and sparkling in the light. He held them in the palm of one hand
and the Sword of the Phoenix in the other. The Phoenix Blade glowed brightly
with fire and power.

“The crystals are power,” A voice spoke to him, but then it
was gone, and the crystals were gone and so was the sword.

The image was replaced by a vision of Marc, a few years
older, but Marc nonetheless. He was dressed in armor on a raging battlefield of
men and things of darkness. Marc was leading the army of man against the enemy,
the blazing Phoenix Blade raised high like a banner of truth in the tides of
evil. The sound of battle roared all around him, powerful, deafening. People
died on both sides of him. He fought with a power and fury such as he had never
before seen himself capable of. Fire surged through the blade striking down the
evil before him. 

Then the images moved faster and he could only make out
hints and glimpses of what he saw.

A great dragon with scales of crimson flared past Marc and a
powerful aura of evil made Marc choke and cringe backwards. But it was there
for only a fleeting moment and it was replaced by a feeling of falling, falling
into a long darkness.  

“Only one can wield the sword… for good… or for evil we
cannot tell, we can only hope… The armies of darkness wage war across the
plains of space itself… A war of death and destruction such as never before…”

Marc saw another vision. It was an older version of himself
again, but this time he was cloaked in dark robes and armor, with a hood that
concealed his sinister countenance. He leaned back upon a great throne of
darkness in a grand open chamber filled with his dark minions. The chamber had
no roof and it revealed a sky that was night with a full moon shrouded by storm
clouds. Tall black pillars rose on each side of him and his army of darkness,
extending into the ominous sky.

And then the image was gone and everything brightened.

Marc arose once more and he was surrounded by raging flames
and nothing. Then it was replaced by a glorious image of a Phoenix Bird rising
into the sky.

“But one shall rise up… One who is righteous and pure in
heart. And he shall bring forth the Sword of the Phoenix ablaze once more… To
confront evil in that last day…”

And then it was silent and everything slowed until finally
he stopped before another vision. Marc saw himself sitting at a desk at school,
staring out of the window off into the great beyond, wishing for another life.

Then everything sped up once again and Marc was catapulted
back into the realm of visions and life. It went faster and faster, all
becoming just a gigantic blur of light and sound. Laughter erupted around him,
deep, cruel, laughter that mocked him and made Marc shudder with trepidation
and fear. Then the figure who was laughing appeared to him, exploded in his
face, a figure with an aura of malevolence greater than Marc had ever seen or
felt. The figure was Tremos. He was clothed in dark choking mist that twisted
and churned, and he had eyes without pupils that bore unending fire and the
very depths of evil itself.

 Tremos raised a hand of blackness towards Marc and something
shot out. Marc winced and fell back.

Then it was gone and there was silence once more. Marc saw
himself standing alone on a plain of darkness. A body lay in his arms. And he
wept in agony at his loss. Long brown hair tumbled over his left arm and blood
was pooling around him from the body. An image of Laura’s face flashed before
him. The vision was gone before he could see more. 

Marc screamed in alarm. “Nooo!”

Tremos laughed more loudly and raised his hand towards Marc
once more, and slowly, as the malicious laughter grew, his hand began to close,
inch by inch.

Marc began to choke as the fingers of his enemy closed,
tighter and tighter. Marc yelled with fury, his eyes looking at the dead body
before him. He screamed in rage at first trying to break the bonds of evil but
it was useless. Marc’s anger gave way to fear as the fist closed and finally
Marc’s voice faded and he could breathe no more. With a last attempt Marc
wrenched free and fell to the ground and to darkness.

It is okay Marcus, it is over.
Sylandria voice came into Marc’s head.

Marc opened his eyes and sat up. He was back in The Oracle’s
galaxy room.

He stood up.

Marcus?

He shook his head.

“So, all that, that was just a dream, nothing more?”

On the contrary, what you saw could be a mixture of many
things. It could have been foresight of things to come, or it could have been
memories of what once was, or it could have been things happening right now in
far away places.

No.
He thought.

No, no, no, NO!

“NO!” he said aloud.

Marcus?
The Oracle said.

Marc raced up the stairs behind him and burst through the
door into the magically lit hall.

Marcus!

Everyone jumped at his sudden and abrupt appearance.

“Marcus?” Laura was the nearest to the door.

Marc marched down the hall, ignoring everyone.

“Let me up!” He said briskly to Cydas as he passed the man.

“Why?” Cydas was confused.

“Because this whole thing is stupid and ridiculous and a
waste of time!”

He stormed down the long hall and stopped when he was
standing on the platform in the circular room.

Cydas didn’t move, unsure of what to do.

Everyone was silent, shocked at their friend’s words and
actions.

After a few moments, when Marc realized that Cydas wasn’t
going to start the elevator and take him up to the house, he stepped off the
platform and trudged over to a part of the wall that obstructed him from view
of the hall. He unlatched the Sword of the Phoenix and let it fall
unceremoniously to the ground a short distance away from him.

“I have never seen him like that,” Zildjin whispered.

The Oracle’s voice came into their minds, except for Marc,
from the open door.

Sometimes it is hard for a person to dip into their
future and see the many possible outcomes it may have. Some Marcus may not
like. Some he might utterly despise. But the hardest, and most likely I think,
for Marcus, is that he does not believe that what he has seen, he can ever
achieve. His future carries the weight of not only one world, but two.

“I will go talk to him,” Laura stood and walked down the
hall to the circular room with the platform.

Yes.
The Oracle agreed,
That should help greatly.
In the meantime, Zildjin, could you come in?

Zildjin nodded and entered the Oracle’s chamber, shutting
the door behind him.

Laura stood at the end of the hall
and peeked over to where Marc was sitting.

“Marc?”

He looked away.

She took a number of hesitant steps over.

“Can I sit with you?”

Marc shrugged.

The Sword of the Phoenix lay on the ground, half falling out
of its sheath. Laura stepped around the weapon and sat down on the floor next
to him. “What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” was his short reply. “I used to do this when I
was a kid. It’s a habit of mine.”

“Oh,” Laura responded.

They were both quiet for a moment until Laura spoke again.

“Why are you so angry all of a sudden Marc? Yesterday you
were fine, and last night—” she trailed off.

Marc didn’t answer.

“You seemed anxious to meet the Oracle, to learn more about
the Sword of the Phoenix and all of this.”

“Yeah,” Marc finally responded, his tone slightly hostile,
“Well what if I don’t want to know anymore!? What if I wish I never heard of or
even seen the Phoenix Blade!?”

“But you already have. It’s sitting right there at your feet.”
Laura said calmly, trying to sooth Marc.

There was another short moment of stillness before Marc
sighed loudly and said, “Yeah— I know—” Then his voice got a little angry
again, “I just wish that things didn’t have to be so hard all of a sudden. Now
just because I have this ancient powerful sword, all at once I have to go out
saving the world and whatnot! I mean, why does it have to be me? I’m just a
kid! A lost kid in a place I don’t belong! I’m just a nobody!”

Then it was Laura’s turn to get mad. “Silence your tongue!”

Marc was startled and looked at Laura who was staring him
down. “You are not a nobody! You are somebody to me! And what do you mean you
don’t belong? You belong right here with me! I need you Marc! Did you ever
think about that while you were over here wallowing in self pity? I might have
no one else out there who cares about me. I never knew my parents, Kaelynn took
me in when I was a child after my parents died and it seems like soon her and
Kimira will be killed because of some dark magic and an evil force of
reanimated dead, probably led by an even more evil leader. Isn’t that enough
reason to fight against evil! So many innocent people killed at the hands of
someone so sick and twisted!”

“I know!” Marc said, struggling to explain his feelings. His
voice broke as he tried to speak, “I know! It’s just that—I can’t—Laura you
don’t understand! I can’t—” He turned away from her not being able to bear the
sadness coming over him. He put his face in his arm and pounded his fist on the
floor.

Laura didn’t understand, “You cannot
what
Marc!? I do
not understand? Cannot stand and fight!?”

“No!” Marc brought his head up enough to speak. “In my dream
I wept over a dead body in my arms. It was you Laura! If that’s what it means
to wield the Sword against all the evil in the world then I won’t do it! I
can’t do it! I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you died Laura!”

Laura went quiet with surprise. “Marc I—”

But Marc wasn’t finished, “If I must endure a lifetime of
being called a coward to keep you alive and here by my side, then I will bury
the Sword of the Phoenix somewhere no one will find it. I will throw it into
the deepest ocean! I— I love you Laura!”

“Marc, I—” Laura tried to speak. Powerful emotions flooded
through her. It was what he should have said the night before, what she was
expecting back, and was finally content to hear him confirm his feelings. “Oh,
yes—” But words were no longer important, could no longer express their
feelings for each other. Marc turned around and sat up next to Laura.

“I hope you can forgive me Laura. I didn’t mean what I said
back there. It was rude—”

She looked into his eyes and leaned in and kissed him on the
mouth. Marc, caught off guard, sat there for a second, then lifted his arms and
wrapped them around her.

After a moment Laura broke the kiss and laid her head on
Marc’s shoulder. She hugged him tightly and spoke softly. “I do not think you
are a coward Marc. Of all the most important and regal men I have seen while in
the Order of the Leaf, you are the bravest of them all.”

Marc smiled and stroked Laura’s hair. “Thanks.” He said
simply, for that was all that was needed to be said. He looked down at the
Sword of the Phoenix half out of its scabbard. Marc patted Laura on the back
and they separated as he stood up. Without saying anything he reached down and
picked up the Phoenix Blade. Laura stood up and helped him buckle the belt
around his waist.

“Alright, now I just need to apologize to everyone.”