Chapter 15
Ryan:
I opened my eyes, and it was still dark. Jason was slipping into his boots below me. I stripped the Sun Tower standard-issue blanket, sheet, and pillowcase before jumping down to the cold stone floor. Hugo had more than enough to do without being left the task of our bedding. I sighed. There was nothing of myself to leave behind in this place of friendship and family. And worse, I knew the next I slept, it would probably be on the hard ground.
Waiting for me on the side table was a simple cup of water. The cold wetness brought me fully awake as it splashed onto my face. There was no telling when I would get my next bath, and no time for one now.
Fastening the tough straps of my armor took longer than it should have. We had been issued a few metal pieces instead of the mostly leather gear we were used to wearing. A worry crossed my mind: how much would this slow me down in the air? It was one of many concerns I had to shrug off for the moment.
Looking at my loose-fitting white over-clothes, I suddenly realized how much they reminded me of Sensei’s white robe. The tunic and pants, extra-large as they were, didn’t catch quite as much wind as the old man’s heavy robe would, but I was still fine in the air. Over the clothes went the belt. The knife in the left sheath was now somewhat balanced by a pistol, loaded and holstered, on the right. I made sure the firearm was strapped in tightly, safety on, and shook my head. In a tight spot, my first instinct would be to go after my double-scythe, then my knife. And, anyway, as long as I could identify a foe from a distance, my wind gusts would serve me well enough. I strapped on the black leather scythe sling, and slid the double-headed weapon into place. I expected that I would next draw it to kill something. Sadness crept upon me like a rising tide.
It was a good thing I was busy. My pack was already prepared, of course, and I fitted it over my shoulders. Jason dropped his hammer into the tight loop at the side of his belt, and gave me a go-ahead nod. We grabbed our bundled sheets and headed for the door. I noticed that many beds around us were empty, a rare occurrence. A good number of our classmates were graduating early to guard duty, ready or not.
I wondered who I should tell goodbye, but Sensei would take us to our point of departure, and I had, at most, spoken only a few words with my classmates, aside from the Elementals. No one would miss me too terribly. Everyone would understand. The ceremony last night would have to be enough.
Even so, it was Hugo who opened the door for us, as we gave him our linen. I told him simply, “Goodbye.”
He said, “Thank you,” and closed the door behind us.
A few steps down the stairs, I heard another door creak. Jason and I turned, waiting. A minute later, Kris and Erin came down the steps. I considered telling them about my encounter with Sensei, but I knew it wasn’t the right time. Together, the four of us made our way toward the main dining hall. As the cooks had promised, we were greeted with the thick smell of warm pastries. The berry-filled treats were a rare delicacy, and, as such, were especially delicious, a fitting final breakfast as citizens of the Sun Tower. We Elementals sat down and finished the treats alongside Sensei, Ganic, Cor and Fain.
Fain had already cleared her plate. “You’re early,” she said. “That’s a good sign.”
Sensei wiped his mouth. “You have your destination, a place called…”
“Thorn Rock,” Jason said.
“Good,” Sensei said. “You will get your directions after entering the city called…”
“Shix,” Kris said. “It lies to the east, and we should be able to see it after a two-day walk.”
“There should be a road appearing after the first day’s walk,” Erin added. “And we’ll enter the city from the north, so that we appear to have come from the farms facing the mountains.”
“And when you find yourselves near Thorn Rock, and in the presence of someone you believe trustworthy, a rebel sympathizer, you will say:
“Our trail we carry; our fears fall behind.
“That which Elementals seek is the end we will find,” Sensei chanted.
After a pause, he continued. “If you feel it is wise, you have my permission to tell them about your teachers, and whatever else you think will be helpful, but those specific words are important.”
“Why must you be so secretive now?” Erin asked.
“Secretive? Like you, I know very little of the world beyond, and I am not certain of whom or what I should trust,” Sensei said. “I do not know who will find you, exactly, but you should be able to recognize allies by how much more helpful they are than I. This mission should make things clearer for all of us...
“Our trail we carry; our fears fall behind.
“That which Elementals seek is the end we will find,” he repeated.
“Remember those words, and I believe your friends will show themselves, as well as the way to the gems. Repeat them to me now, one by one.”
Each of us did as he asked, and everyone made a mistake or two.
With the pastries gone, the old man sighed and said, “Let’s go. Repeat the words, correctly this time, in your minds as we approach the canyon walls.”
This time, the four of us walked in the middle of the group, with two teachers each, in front and behind, watching out for us. I scanned the dark trees anyway, relying more on the wind for information than my eyes. Rustling noises caught my attention, but nothing aggressive was waiting for us in the forest.
The trail curved upward sharply, then abruptly ended. In the fading moonlight, the teachers stopped in the shadows of the forest ahead of the tree-line, the point where gravity had been too strong to allow growth. Only now, I hadn’t felt any increase in weight. A smile sprung to my face.
Sensei appeared at my side to douse my enthusiasm. “What have you been repeating?” he asked, a harsh whisper.
“Our trail we carry; our fears fall behind.
What Elementals seek is the end we will find,” I told him slowly.
“‘That which Elementals seek,’” he said. “May God help you if you continue to forget important information at this rate.”
I cringed, and repeated the correct version back to him.
“Do as the words command. Leave behind your doubts and fears. You will lead, and the Elementals will be great,” Sensei said. “So I believe.”
“Good-goodbye,” I told him with a stutter.
“Goodbye,” he whispered, clasping my hand, a gesture of friendship and respect, man-to-man, leader-to-leader. “Go now.”
My teammates each bid quiet farewell to their respective teachers. Kris gave Cor a hug before hopping onto Jason’s back. Running, the Stone Elemental powered himself up the side of the cliff, with a long series of light crunching sounds as his hands and feet dug leverage into the sheer rock face.
Erin hooked her arms around my neck, and her feet latched around my ankle. There came the whoosh of a massive downdraft, then up the wind came. I rocketed us toward the canyon rim, then slowed to a hover just above the flat ground. The land seemed to stretch forever, no cover in sight. I quickly touched down.
Erin and I ducked low, just ahead of where Jason and Kris would pop up, and we both put hands to our weapons, waiting in the darkness in a silent crouch. My heart beat like a frantic war drum. Dawn would come much more quickly outside the canyon. The scouts had told us that the Devidisian guards hadn’t been spotted any closer than usual to the rim—they usually preferred to keep a healthy distance to avoid a nasty fall. But could we really avoid being found?
The crunch-crunch from below became louder, too loud, it seemed, and then stopped. I nodded to Jason and Kris as they emerged from the canyon prison, and pointed the way forward. Kris and Erin, bending low, ran ahead. I checked behind me, and saw Jason kick a stone back into the depths, a sign to the teachers that we were away, safely. Our last farewell. Then Jason and I were hot on the girls’ heels.
And so the four of us put the Sun Tower and the Forbidden Forest behind us, heading east, in a hostile, unknown country
, toward the Devidisian city of Shix.
Elementals Onward
When hands of hate turn dark and tragic,
Virtue makes for more than magic.
Ever since the world was new,
They rise, always, a worthy few.
When tyrants fill the land with death,
And innocents draw in final breath,
Warriors noble step from shadow,
With powers hidden, end the battle,
Committed to win, to do what they must,
Defending good hope against the unjust:
In spite of danger, doom, and doubt,
Before these few, darkness burns out.
This timeless history is beget
To show how light with darkness met:
Their legacy may not be seen,
But we recall wits and weapons keen
That warriors sharpen and apply,
By courage and talent live and die.
And so hope we have, in darkest night:
The good find a way, and a means, and light.
…LEGEND OF THE ELEMENTALS continues in BOOK 2: RELEASE...
where the Elementals seek the first Elemental gem...
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