CHAPTER 56
LEGEND
Kiethara sat cross legged by her hammock, working her hands over the ground. She was growing herself lunch—potatos, to be exact. The sun was warm and inviting, as were her thoughts as they kept happily drifting to the previous day.
Navadar had stayed well into the evening, but they never strayed from the waterfall. Who would, given the choice? It was a beauty beyond comparison; Kiethara did well to mark its location in her memory so she would be able to find it again. It was a little further than she was used to traveling from the center, but that would not hinder her from future visits. It would be so nice to take a bath in its warm waters compared to her usual tepid lake…
Kiethara took a large bite out of a plump potato and let her thoughts linger on the feel of Navadar’s lips…Her insides squirmed happily. He made her feel alive in ways she could not explain! He made her smile in a way that felt so natural; he made her laugh even when the situation was ominous. He could take her mind off the bleak matters that usually filled it.
Navadar’s recent visit brought on a whole new round of things to be considered. After she defeated Gandador—which she was determined to do now that she realized how he was affecting the ones she loved—what would happen? Hopefully, her life would return to the peaceful state it had once been in. Once it did, would he stay with her? Then they could raise—
“Kiethara…”
She jumped at the sound of her name. It had been whispered by Aaron, but from where, she could not tell. She jumped to her feet and spun around, but she appeared alone.
“Kiethara,” it called hoarsely. “Hurry…to the center of the forest. Do not delay…”
His voice was so faint, so weak! Her heart froze in her chest at the sound of it.
“I’m coming, Aaron!” she cried. Panic exploded in her chest as she took off from the ground and tore through the air. Her hair whipped wildly around her as she raced towards what she could only presume to be some great doom, some frightful catastrophe. Her shield materialized around her.
She landed hard on the lush grass. The clearing was empty; the lake smooth as glass. The air was unnaturally still and untouched by any disturbances.
“Aaron?”
His response came like a whisper from the wind.
“Listen well, Kiethara, and hold your tongue. I have much to say, little time to do so, and it is essential that you hear every word.”
“What?!” she spluttered in alarm. Her hand dropped to the pommel of her sword. The wind ripped through the clearing, rippling the glassy surface to her right. The golden sphere around her refused to disappear.
Questions flashed through her mind faster than lightening lit up a stormy sky. What in the world was going on? Why was Aaron talking as though he feared to be overheard, when her connection told her they were quite alone? And why could she not see him? She took heed to his words, however, and bit the torrent of queries back.
“You have always known my presence, Kiethara,” he continued. “You have never questioned it, never reflected on how abnormal it was, even for the forest. You might not realize this, but the only other guardian who spent any amount of time with me was my son, who died thousands of years ago.
“I have come quite close to explaining the mechanics of a guardian’s death, but now you will know every truth. When a guardian dies, they do not necessarily pass on; in other words, their presence does not leave. It cannot leave, because their spirit is still harvesting the magic it held the moment they died. Only until they use that power up completely are they able to join their ancestors.
“Each guardian dies with magic. Depending on how much they had before they died, they can linger for a day, a month, or several years. Some decide to expel it all as soon as they can so that they will be allowed to pass on. Some, like your mother, save it and use it little by little until they run out. She had just enough power to talk to you those three times—twice in the lake and once in your sleep. None have enough to last very long or accomplish much. Regular beings outside the forest do not have enough to linger for more than a moment.
“My case, however, was much different.
“To explain it to you properly, I must tell you my legend first. A legend few are blessed to hear, so listen well.”
Kiethara’s mouth had fallen open, her shield had disappeared. She had sunk to her knees as she drank in every softly uttered word, eyes fixed on the space around her. She could feel his presence in the air now, almost shimmering around her.
“Most of it I scant remember,” he began in a longing whisper. “The finer details have long since faded from my mind. I have managed to cling on to some of the more important aspects of my life, which I will tell to you now.
“I lived right by the sea. When I was just a boy, there were only six beings present in my world, two of them being my parents. We lived in a circle of small tepees while we fed off the water and the fields around us. There were no kingdoms or tribes; there was hardly a population.
“My mother was a fine woman. I remember her laugh the clearest, for that was all she did. She would tease my father, the others, me, and even the animals. My father would laugh along with her, just as good natured as she was. But he was also a very wary and cautious man. He feared the unknown. That fear was so great that he forbid anyone to wander farther than our flocks. He lashed me hard one day—the mere age of seven, I was—when I managed to toddle too far away from him.
“Yet he could not contain me or my curiosity for long. When I became a young man, I decided to disobey my father’s one command and explore the lands beyond the horizon. I left in the dead of night and I never saw those six people again. I don’t even remember their names.”
A note of melancholy blackened his low tones. She could tell how much he yearned for his lost family, even though they both knew his separation from them led him to the forest.
“I headed dead west with a single sack on my back, filled with nothing but water skins, a cooking pot, and some spices. The only weapon I held was a spear. In short, I was ill prepared for my journey and it was not long before I began to despair that those plains would never end. I lost my spear the very next day and ran out of water before sunrise.
“Days later, I finally reached the forest.
“It was not what you see now. It was a wild, ferocious thing. Magic drenched the air and pumped from the trees, which grew twisted and quickly, with their vines whipping through the air and the grass growing towards the heavens.
“What happened then I cannot explain. I barely survived it. I managed, somehow, to make my way to the center, even though the entire time the massive power was taking control of me. I was forced to take it into my body; it consumed me and, if I had not been in my prime age and fitness, the strength of it would have killed me.
“I managed to hang on just long enough to realize how to release the magic that was threatening to explode inside me. At that moment, I had been filled with the greatest fear I had ever felt, for surely I was about to die, but then I used that. Somehow, I managed to make that an outlet for the colossal power that was about to crush me. The wind ripped through the sky, but it still wasn’t enough. I was being force-fed too much magic without enough emotion to get rid of it. I tried, almost unconsciously, to work out a way to get it out. A shield burst forward, just like the one you have perfected now.
“I started to go mad. I screamed with rage, cursing myself for not listening to my father. In my anger, I managed to create tongues of blazing fire. They scorched everything within a fifty foot radius.
“On top of becoming afraid and enraged, I was filled with a great grief. Was I to be killed? Would the magic ever release me? It began to rain then; black, thunderous clouds had filled the sky. Lightening flashed and great booms and clashes deafened me.
“That made me smile.
“You might call me insane; I would not blame you if you did. I was insane—drunk by my alien surroundings. But when I saw that enormous storm that I had created, I
loved it. All my life I had felt small and powerless against my environment, but there in the forest, I finally controlled it. This feeling of immensity and happiness caused the scorched ground to grow green again.
“As I said, I remember little. Eventually my body adapted and I was able to house an unbelievable amount of magic inside me without having to expel it. The forest bent towards my will almost eagerly. Like that, I became its father.
“Once my…position was established, or so to say, I was able to manicure the forest. I reigned in the magic, allowing it small outlets like the fruit that grows from the trees and the water that flows through the streams. No longer could you absorb it from the air if you were to enter it like I had that very first time.
“Enemies began to cross my path soon enough, but they were pathetic compared to my power. Nothing could stand in my way. I was so attached to the forest that I could sense it, feel it, and feel anybody inside it. The connection you have now grew inside me as though the forest had planted its roots inside my skull.
“One fated day, a beautiful lady entered the forest. She came with a pair of oxen, dragging a cart full of the finest treasures in the world. We met, and we fell in love.
“Now, one of her most prized possessions was a sword her father had crafted. It was a gargantuan blade, the cross piece adorned with the largest crystal I had ever seen.”
“Your sword,” Kiethara whispered.
“Right you are. It was some weapon. Intimidation was my blade—it stabbed at the hearts of my foes. I owe my love much for that.
“I also owe her for her craft. She was skilled at making finery: bracelets, in particular. She crafted me a pair to wear on my arms so I could hold even more magic. Thus came the idea for the guardian’s crystals. She made hundreds upon hundreds with her treasures and gave them to me, to store and save for our descendants.”
Kiethara then realized why Aaron was telling her his legend. It was the origin of everything.
“You don’t need to know how I established the guardians. I had a son, and he had a daughter…things followed the same pattern and rituals were established. For instance, when the time comes, you must have your baby in the guardian’s lake. That is key.”
“The lake?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“There your child will experience what is necessary to become a guardian and, when they turn thirteen, you will take them to the mountains to retrieve their bracelets. You received yours at the age of three due to the special circumstances. But all of our guardian’s treasures lie where you got your sword. Do not forget that.”
Kiethara nodded.
“Now, back to my original point. So this is how I came to be. And to this day, not a single guardian has possessed half of the amount of magic I had. When I died, I had enough power to let me live on for another thousand years as if nothing were amiss; however, I was wise. Instead of expelling it, I held on to it and remained just a single whisper over the years. I used as little as possible, watching over my forest and my descendants. It was a good thing I did, or the forest may have fallen when your mother died.
“I used the remainder of my power to raise you, to guide you. I became a father to you just as you became a daughter to me. But it has cost me and, after all these years of lingering, now I must pass on.”
When the words finally sunk in, Kiethara could feel her world begin to shatter around her. Everything went silent except for the frantic thudding of her heart. Her thoughts, her plans, her way of life…they were brutally breaking and shattering before her navy blue eyes. Her head spun as she tried to grasp the prospect; her mind frantically rearranging the reality it had once been accustomed to.
Never had she once considered something like this. Out of every fanciful daydream and dwelled-upon nightmare, it had never once been considered. Aaron…gone? No, it simply could not be. He had always been there at her side, invincible, unwavering, and what she had always thought as immortal. There was no possible way that could be the case. That for the first time in her life, she would truly be alone in the forest.
The forest around her suddenly seemed like a mighty stranger. No longer did she see a warm, familiar home that she had come to love. Now that she was forced to see it without Aaron there, it seemed so vast and so cold, as though it cared nothing for her fate or its own. It would remain the same even though its father, its creator, was about to pass on forever. Kiethara could not see how it would not simply wither and die once he was gone. That was exactly what she felt like doing. Suddenly, the forest did not seem alive like its own being, but dead and inanimate with its lack of feeling.
Dead.
Was that what Aaron was doing? Dying? A guardian, it seemed, was condemned to die two deaths. One like a human, the other like a force of nature. It was almost cruel.
Now that she was enlightened, she knew she should have read the signs. She had noticed him growing dimmer and dimmer. His appearances had become scarcer these past months. He had slowly slipped from training her himself to instructing her to do it on her own. Compared to years in the past, she had barely seen him at all! Still, she had never imagined not seeing him again. She had never contemplated life without Aaron.
And now her light—her hopes, her faith, her strength, her mentor, her family—was about to fade forever.
A broken sob escaped her pale lips.
“Listen to me, Kiethara. I must ask you to hold on to your reason for my few remaining moments. I still need to tell you many things. Will you listen?”
She pressed her lisp together and nodded.
“You are powerful, Kiethara, more so than you could ever imagine. Do you remember, almost a year ago, when the forest was set on fire? That was your doing. You caused the storm. You set the fire.”
“W-What?!” she spluttered, a few tears running down her cheeks. She shook her head, overwhelmed.
“Your emotions, Kiethara! They are more tied to your actions—whether unvoluntary or not—than you could ever imagine. You were angry with me for disapproving of Navadar, sorrowed when you thought I left, and fearful of what might come to pass. Those three emotions were felt with such intensity that they called forth a power you did not know you had—to manipulate the weather. The winds, the rains, and the lightening. Wind, water, and fire. Fear, sorrow, and anger.
“With that in mind, I urge you to take control. Give yourself limitations or the power will kill you. Give yourself boundaries or your reason will wander. You can destroy the world if you wanted to. I have spoken to you about magical blasts. One lapse in control and you will no longer have any control over yourself or your magic. The force of the forest and your magic will be what controls you if you allow that to occur. Do not let this happen! You must exercise control! Do you hear me?”
“Yes, Aaron,” she promised with a sob.
“I never got to teach you how to disappear or reappear like Gandador can, but I think you can manage without it. Gandador has weaknesses, Kiethara—it is not helpless. Beware, though. He is cunning and, as much as I hate to admit it, his plans are plausible. If he finds the right opportunity, he just might make one work. You must kill him. I never meant to force you into committing such a crime, but you must kill him. You have no other choice.
“Now you know. Heed my words, my orders, and my warnings. The forest depends on you, my daughter.”
All of a sudden, the clearing was filled with light. It was a magnificent light, one filled with so many things that could not be spoken. When her eyes adjusted, she made out Aaron. He stood right in front of her, his figure so faint that it resembled just another ray of sunlight filtering in through the trees. But throbbing off of him were such emotions that she had no doubt it was a real person that stood there, one who was proud of having such a life and such a legacy. He had no reason to bow his shoulders, no reason to hide his face in shame. His mere presence sent such a spike of adrenaline and awe through her veins that she could do nothing but gape at him, even though she knew she only had seco
nds left.
He walked forward. His hands reached out and—to her great astonishment—a strong grip pulled her to her feet. Her crystals lit up like two individual stars strapped to her wrists.
He pulled her into a tight embrace which sent a cry of despair through her. She sobbed and held him tight; two beings of magic becoming one.
“Farwell, Kiethara,” he whispered. “Guard the forest.”
And with a sudden blast of magic that made her gasp as she was forced to drink it in, he faded before her eyes, all of his light melting into the sunlight. With him it seemed everything faded: all hope, all magic. Everything.
Everything except his legend.