Richard looked up and nodded at his son.
Glancing at Jennifer, he asked, “She will be out for at least
twenty-four hours?”
Jennifer nodded.
Richard leaned down and kissed his daughter
on the forehead. “Rourk, we need to get back out there.” As much as
it pained him, he knew he was right. Richard looked over at
Jennifer, “We will be forever in your debt.” He shared a look with
his wife and marched out back to the battle field. Rourk
followed.
Thaddeus felt like something was in front of
his face, but he was missing it. Going back over the events, his
visions had come true. Keegan had died, mass deaths including women
and children, and yet, the light was still fighting on. They still
had a chance, so why was he not seeing it? Why him? Why was he so
influential in the outcome of the battle? What made him different
from other seers? He was a seer and a warrior, that was the only
difference.
He felt as if time was moving too quickly. He
wanted to slow it down, so he could figure things out before it was
too late. Night would soon fall upon them, and then the fighting
would pause until sunrise. He had to think of something before
then. He was not sure why, but he had a feeling his window of
opportunity would close if he didn’t figure it out before tomorrow.
He should be out there fighting with his unit, but he felt it was
his time to be a seer and to let the others fight.
Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his
head.
He began to form a plan.
***
Keegan was dreaming. She was in a field of
wildflowers. It was the most beautiful thing she’d ever laid eyes
on, and it seemed to stretch on forever. As far as she could see,
the bold colors of the flowers waved beneath a bright, sunny sky.
She was running and laughing and she could feel the wind on her
face. Stopping, she twirled around and around until everything
became blurry. She heard a loud roar, and she fell to the ground,
startled.
Keegan frantically looked around. She felt
frightened. When the spinning in her vision stopped, she saw a
massive tiger in the distance slowly stalking towards her. She was
too afraid to run, and stayed frozen in place. The tiger approached
and walked around her in a circle; coming to a rest, he laid down
and stretched out. She reached for him, petting the beautiful
animal.
***
Rourk was in the heat of battle, but he felt
as if he was not all the way there. He knew that was an excellent
way to get himself killed. He needed to focus and be in the moment,
but it was hard not to let his mind wander to Keegan.
He was scared. Hell, he was terrified. He could not sense
her. What did that mean? Had their connection been broken by the
black magic?
He focused and screamed within himself,
channeling the energy into a swipe of his sword as he took off the
head of his opponent. He knew there was nothing he could do; he had
to wait for her to wake up tomorrow.
For now, Rourk could take out his frustration
on the enemy. He felt the calmness surge through his body, and once
again he was fighting as if he was floating on air. The moves were
so natural he felt as one with his blade. Countless would die by
his hand before the day was over.
Night descended upon them and relief could be
felt throughout the camp. The soldiers shoved food down their
throats and exchanged war stories. They were still energized by the
fight for their existence. The weariness had not settled in yet.
Richard knew if this kept up much longer that was exactly what
would happen.
Richard heard his son approach and turned to
greet him. Where earlier the boy had been tired and drawn, with
dark circles under his eyes, he was now standing tall. “Father,
I’ve had a vision and I need to be brought to the leader of the
dark.”
Richard physically took a step back. “Have
you lost your mind son? I cannot allow you to go over to the side
of the dark.”
Thaddeus spoke with firmness, not as a son to
his father, but as a gifted seer to the leader of the light. “This
is not a request, either you take me or I will go by myself.”
Richard could think of nothing that could
change his son’s mind. He resigned himself to the idea. “Let me
grab something to eat and we will go.”
Thaddeus eyed his father, “We will go
now.”
Nodding, Richard grabbed his gear and they
headed out. He hoped his son knew what he was doing. Just the
thought of coming face to face with his nemesis, Creed, made his
blood boil. It was going to take all of his willpower to follow the
rules of war.
It took them over an hour by foot to reach
the camp of the dark elves. They had chosen a spot set deep in a
small valley between hills where their own sea of illuminated tents
lit the valley like the light elves. It was set up essentially like
their own. He could see no real differences, but he could feel
it.
Entering the area felt like they’d stepped
into an air conditioned room. They were greeted by a guard in full
gear, his sword tip pointing at Richard’s face. Richard glared at
him, “We are here to see your leader, Creed. Tell him my son has
had a vision and needs to see him at once.”
Those gifted with sight were highly
respected. The man looked over at Thaddeus, and he almost bowed,
but stopped himself. “I will be right back, you can wait here.”
Thaddeus and Richard pointedly remained silent; Richard, upset
about entering the enemy’s territory with his son and Thaddeus,
terrified.
The guard quickly returned and said, “Follow
me.”
Conversation fell silent as they let the man
lead them through the camp. Every dark soldier turned in their
direction, following the three-man party with wary eyes as they
passed.
Creed’s tent was indistinguishable from any
other and he even looked like a normal person; but Richard knew he
was not to be underestimated. Despite his average face and normal
brown hair, he was dangerous. You do not get to be the leader of
the dark without merit.
Creed glanced up when they walked in, and he
nodded slightly at them both, his blue eyes hard. “I’ve heard
you’ve had a vision and need to see me?”
Thaddeus stepped forward, “Sir, my vision has
shown that if we continue on with this war we will all die. We are
both equally matched. If you added up the numbers of the dead right
now, you will see they are the same. This battle will effectively
cause extinction to our kind, both light and dark. My vision showed
me the only way to stop this is to call a truce. I have also made
some connections on my own, if you care to hear them.”
Creed waved his hand at Thaddeus to continue,
one eyebrow raised sardonically.
“Who is to say that light is just and dark is
evil? What if light is just light and dark is just dark. What if we
have been brainwashed to believe we should hate each other? Today
with my own eyes I saw my mother and future brother-in-law cross
over to the side of the dark. They were no longer fighting for good
or to save their kind. They were fueled on pure revenge. I also
witnessed with my own eyes my sister being brought back to life by
black magic. Does that mean she is evil now? I cannot believe that
to be the case. I look around your camp and see your soldiers are
the same as our soldiers. We are all fighting for something we
believe in. What if what we believe in has been false all along? I
do not suggest that we become friends. I do suggest that we show
each other the respect we both deserve. Why are we killing off our
own race—we are all elves, are we not?”
Creed stood up and paced the room quietly for
a moment, his hands clasped behind his back. When he looked up, his
face was filled with emotion. “My son died today. He did not even
believe in war; he thought we should sit down and discuss our
differences and work it out amicably. I laughed at him and told him
he was foolish. When I heard the news that he was dead all I could
think was, for what? I couldn’t even feel a sense of pride for my
son who died in battle. I knew in his heart that he did not agree
with it.”
Richard tried to hold on to his contempt for
the man, but at his words, he was unable to do anything but
remember the feeling of losing Keegan. He felt something he never
thought he would feel for the man he had hated most of his life:
compassion. He knew what it felt like to lose a child even if his
loss was only briefly. Maybe Thaddeus was right, and they weren’t
so different after all. He had let his contempt for the dark
consume him. He never thought of them as individuals.
“Creed, you know that my son was prophesied
as the only chance the light had to survive. I think we should take
heed his advice and his vision. Being a great warrior yourself, you
know there is a time when calling a truce is necessary, and the
right thing to do. I believe this is the time and place.”
Creed almost grinned. “I’ve always heard you
were a smooth leader. I actually felt a sense of pride just now,
hearing you call me a great warrior. Do you know I have spent most
of my adult life hating you? I have lain awake countless nights
waiting for this moment, for us to be face to face. I’d go over all
the different ways I would kill you if given the chance. Yet, here
we are both complimenting each other. Even with my hatred for you
there was always a hint of admiration as well.”
The two men stared at each other, and Richard
extended his hand out. Creed grasped his hand and they shook. “A
truce it is,” Creed said.
Richard returned the man’s grin, clapping his
hands together. “Now that we are no longer fighting each other, we
can put our skills to work protecting the human race.”
Creed laughed loudly. “Yes, I miss the days
when you could kill at night."
"Ah, yes, the Elven laws. In the human world,
battles do not end at nightfall." Richard smiled as he spoke.
Creed replied. "The humans seem to be on the
brink of causing their own extinction. I think directing our
talents and energy in that direction sounds like a good idea.”
Creed looked warmly over at Thaddeus. “Thank you son, your gift as
a seer has saved us all. I will strongly consider your words. The
hatred that has been spread will not go away overnight. Probably,
not even in our generation. Perhaps one day dark and light elves
will see each other as elves and nothing more. Now go spread the
word the battle has ended in a truce due to your vision. We all
respect magic, so I think everyone will feel joy to know the Gods
have decided to bring this to an end.”
Thaddeus was relieved that it was over with.
He had been stressed wondering if his plan would work. As they
walked out, his father put his arm around his son and they left the
camp in silence.
Once they were on the grounds of the light,
Richard stopped and looked at his son. “There was no vision was
there?”
An impish grin spread across Thaddeus’ face.
“Strategy number 23: Weave a Seamless Blend of Fact and Fiction,
from
The 33
Strategies of War
by Robert Greene.”
Richard pulled his son into a hug. Thaddeus
continued, “You always taught me that your mind was the best tool
during a battle. It finally dawned on me the reason I could affect
the outcome of the battle was not because I have the gift of sight,
but because of I have the mind of a warrior. For that, I thank you.
I believed everything I said to him about my thoughts on the light
and dark.”
Richard stared at the ground for a minute.
“Thaddeus, you opened my eyes to a new line of thought. With all my
knowledge, I somehow managed to overlook the obvious. I am humbled
to be your father.”
Thaddeus chuckled, “Let’s not go overboard,
Dad, you and humble do not go together.”
T
he next morning the sun rose, and activity could be
heard throughout the camp. Tents were being taken down, and people
were heading home. The family sat patiently waiting. There was no
talking; no one knew what to say. Three more hours passed and then
it happened.
Opening her eyes, Keegan rubbed her face and
stretched. Thaddeus jokingly said, “Leave it to you to sleep in the
day you come back to life.”
Keegan looked puzzled. Looking over at her
mother, she said, “Is there anything to eat around here? I’m in the
mood for bacon and eggs.” Everyone laughed, and you could feel the
tension lift.
Rourk still looked concerned. “Bacon? You’re
a vegetarian.”
Keegan glanced over, eyeing him
speculatively. “Who are you, and why would I be a vegetarian?”
Rourk felt as if he had been stabbed through
the heart. How could she not know who he was? His worst nightmare
was coming true. Maybe she just needed time to adjust. “My name is
Rourk. I work with your father, and your brother was one of my
students.”
This seemed to bore her. She looked over at
Anna’s mother, “What are you doing here?”
Jennifer stood up and walked over to her.
“Your mother will explain. I am glad you are okay. If you need
anything, or just want to talk, you know where to find me.” Then
she was gone. Anna’s mother was a creature of the light? Why was
everyone staring at her? The tent was filled with her family
members. Kat looked like she was wanted to cry, and Brigid looked
like she had something to say, but wasn’t sure how to say it. Even
her grandmother seemed to be at a loss for words. Keegan was
starting to get concerned.
Emerald wasn’t sure what to do. “Why don’t
you get out of bed and come out and get something to eat? You might
feel better when we are outside.”
Keegan got out of bed and wrapped her arms
around herself. She was so cold. “Okay, but let me grab a
sweater.”
They all walked out in silence. Keegan looked
around at all the tents being removed. “What is going on? Did we
win?”