Once he’d reached Drake, Morgan got to his knees. “Drake, what happened?”
Drake chuckled the soft, short chuckle that always made him a lovable guy. “Don’t really have time to tell you everything, now do I?” He lifted his hand to reveal the large wound in his stomach.
Morgan told him, “No, you made a promise, Ace. You said you’d tell me everything.”
“And I will. Back at the base, I kept a journal. It explains everything. Just be sure and tell my old man that I didn’t betray him. Tell him I was a member to the end. At least that will give him some closure.”
“Drake, no, I’m not going to let you die. Let me try to heal it for you.” When he tried to place his hand on the wound, Drake slapped his hand back over it.
“It won’t matter, Pro. I’ve already lost too much blood. After all that training from you, I still couldn’t stop him. But, I’m confident that this will be the last day you have to deal with Donovan.” Spitting out a bit of blood, he continued, “Besides, I’ve already done what was asked of me. I stuck with the Alliance until the end. At least let Sara and Patrick know that I died protecting their future, alright?”
The images of Drake’s two young children flashed in Morgan’s mind, and finally the tears started to well up. “It can’t end like this, Drake. I won’t let it.”
Drake flashed him a weak smile. “Relax, Morgan. At least now I can watch over your son from the heavens. And you know, I meant what I said on the recorder. Lucian’s going to grow up to be a great leader someday. I know it.”
Morgan watched his friend exhale for the last time. Drake’s eyes glossed over, and his limp hand fell off the wound.
He was gone.
The Realm Leader wiped away his rolling tears and used his hand to close his friend’s eyes. “You did good, Ace. You better keep watching”
Then, he stood up and hurried to find Lucian’s battle. Suddenly, he was thrown off his feet by a huge ripple that crashed through the mansion. He barely felt the huge pain as he hit the floor, unconscious and buried by rubble.
***
I opened my eyes weakly. I sat in the middle of a pile of rocks and wood splinters. Holding my head, I murmured, “What happened?”
“You got stronger, young Protektor.”
I quickly looked up to find Donovan lying across the large platform that had been demolished, with a stake of wood through his chest. It must have missed his heart by mere inches. The Seeker’s energy was keeping him alive, but just barely. Once the Seeker left him, he would die.
“You’ll be quite an opponent for the Seeker one day. I know he’s looking forward to a rematch.”
I frowned. “Tell me one thing before you die, Donovan. Who is the Seeker’s real host?”
Donovan chuckled and replied, “You’ve met this person already, but you’ll find out soon enough. When he’s ready to finally realize his destiny.” Then, the criminal closed his eyes and breathed his final breath.
I stood there, staring at his lifeless body to absorb this information. What did he mean by that? Could that mean that the new Seeker didn’t want his destiny? It was entirely possible and may be why he hadn’t come after me yet.
I staggered through the wreckage of the Garibaldi mansion, stumbling from side to side as my head filled with pain. Reentering the foyer, I caught a glimpse of gold in the wreckage. A gold ring with a red stone.
“Dad!” I exclaimed, no longer worried about myself. I started pushing logs of wood off my father’s body, trying to reach him. Once he was unburied, I saw him smile at me.
“You’re not dead?”
I gripped his hand tightly and laughed happily, “No, I’m not.”
He opened his eyes and looked at me gently. “I lied, Lucian. You are more like Loren than I ever could have imagined.”
I smiled back at him, not saying a word. Enough words had been said, and enough things had happened where we didn’t need them anymore. All we needed was what I gave him: a hug and a silent promise to never let anyone else hurt our family again.
***
I lay on my bed back at home. I was covered in bandages, from my head to my ankles. The head doctor had fashioned a sling for my arm. Yeah, remember when Drake broke my arm the day we first met? Apparently, the healing spell he’d used was temporary and only worked if the caster was alive. And now, since he was dead…
I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to think about it. However, the universe didn’t want me to forget, as seen by when my father decided to walk in the door.
“Lucian?” he asked gently, “How are you feeling?”
I flashed him a smile. “I’m doing okay, Dad.”
“Good, because there’s something I think you need to see.”
He sat down next to me on the bed and handed me an old, leather-bound book. As I stared at it for a few seconds, my dad told me, “It was Drake’s. I’m sure he would want you to have it. I’m done with it for now, so it’s yours. I bookmarked a particular page for you. Why don’t you read it?”
I looked at him and then back at the journal. Flipping to the page he’d marked, I started to read.
For whoever reads this, they need to know. I’ve only known this Bryan kid for a week, and every day he amazes me. His magic control is flawless. He always keeps his emotions in check. All the kids have warmed up to him in such a short amount of time, it’s incredible.
Maybe one day, once all this MonReneix business is over, I can convince him to join the Protektor’s Alliance. He’d be a great higher-up one day.
But, maybe I should just let him be. He may have his own plans for his future. I wish I’d had that chance. Would have been nice to just be a normal middle school teacher with a happy family. I wish I could see Sara and Patrick again. Hopefully I will soon.
So, to whoever reads this, don’t lose hope. There is always a light in the shadows. You just have to look for it.
I looked at the back page and found a picture of two little children, smiling happily up at me through the paper. I felt tears welling up in my eyes again. As I sniffled a bit, my father pulled me into his chest.
“It’s alright, Lucian. It’s all over.”
I asked him quietly, “Do you think we can go see his family tomorrow? I really want to meet his kids.”
My dad smiled at me, “Of course we can, Lucian. Get some sleep, and we’ll see how you feel in the morning. Good night, Lucian.” Then, he leaned forward, kissed me on the forehead, and left the room, clicking off my light as he exited.
As I lay there trying to get to sleep, I kept thinking about the Seeker. Now all signs pointed to the Seeker being a child, and that child was trying to not fulfill his destiny. Did that mean there was a way to prevent the Profecia from happening? While I couldn’t be sure, I decided right then that I would not stop until I found this kid and figured out if I could stop that prophecy from happening. Because, if it could, then the world would escape the chaos it was destined for.
And nothing could make me happier.
***
Morgan sat at his desk the next morning, when a quiet knock came from the door. “Come in!” he called out. The door knob turned, and in walked Michael.
The Realm Leader smiled, “Are you feeling better, Michael?”
The kid smiled brightly, “Yeah, Daddy, I do! But, I keeps seeing that mark all over the place.”
“The one that had been on your hands?” When Michael nodded, Morgan shook it off. “You’re probably still recovering, buddy. It’ll go away soon.”
“Goodie!” he exclaimed, “Um, is Lukey up yet?”
Morgan laughed and replied, “Yeah, I think he is. Why don’t you go check on him?”
Michael giggled and ran up to him, hugging his waist and nuzzling his head against his hip.
“I love you, Daddy,” he laughed.
When the boy released him, Morgan looked at his eyes. The blue color from that night with Donovan had disappeared, and the warm grey color had been restored to the six-year-old
’s gleeful, naïve gaze. Looking down at Michael’s hands, he could have sworn he saw the Seeker’s symbol flash on the backs for a split second.
Forcing a smile, Morgan tousled his son’s hair. “Love you too, sport.”
Michael giggled again, grinning up at him. Then, he dashed out of the room, hollering, “Luuuuukeyyy! Where ares youuuuu?”
A smile played on Morgan’s face for a split second before dropping. Not only had Donovan scarred Lucian for life, but he had also done the unthinkable.
He marked Michael as a servant of the Seeker.
Morgan gripped his head in both his hands. “God, what is happening to us? I understand the trials and tribulations that Lucian has to go through, but why does Michael have to get sucked in?”
“I thought so.”
He lifted his head to find Jezebel standing timidly in the doorway. “Jez, I didn’t see you there.”
She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “He’s so young. And he’s already having so much to deal with.”
“That’s probably why Donovan did it. It’s much easier to control a young child than-”
“I wasn’t just talking about Michael. I meant Lucian too.”
Morgan smiled sweetly at her and walked across the office. Pulling her into a tight embrace, he whispered in her ear, “We’ll get through this, sweetheart. I promise.”
He didn’t want to believe it, but he had no choice but to accept it. If the Seeker did decide to utilize Michael as his servant, the two boys, now more close than siblings can be, would clash as they get older. The peace he’d been working so hard to achieve was getting chipped away bit-by-bit. And it was his own family chipping it away.
All Morgan cared about was closure. As long as his family was alive and well, that was all that mattered to him. That was all that should matter to a father, right? He may have been Realm Leader, but he was a father too.
It didn’t matter if he saved a school of children, or avoided a disaster out in the islands. All that mattered was happiness.
If his family was happy, then he would succeed in life.
That, and nothing else, was all that mattered.
OTHER WORKS
As eBooks only::
Tales of Terrara Vikos stories
#1- Cross of Faith
#2- Trees In The Storm
#3- Blood on a Broken Hand
#4- Warped Destinies
The Chaos Accounts saga
#1- Account of Anxiety
#2- Account of Unrest
#3- Account of Friendship
#4- Account of Secrets (Coming Soon)
As eBook AND Print::
The Protektor’s Reality: a Trials of Terrara Vikos prequel
About the Author
Born in Schenectady, NY and raised in Richmond, VA, Christine has always had a love of reading and writing. She didn’t become aware of her gift for crafting stories until fifth grade, when she made it her dream to one day see her works on a bookstore shelf. Her love in the literary world has always been fantasy novels, because they allowed her to leave this world and venture into another. She devoured books growing up and still does in her free time.
Christine lives in Virginia, balancing her day job (working with numbers and Excel) and her creative endeavors.
You can find more about her and her works at::
terraravikos.com
Or
Pledge to her writing escapades at::
https://www.patreon.com/discoverywritin
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