The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge) (16 page)

As Landon awoke again, these memories came back to him. They rent his heart for he believed he had buried the pain. He splashed and squirmed trying to move away from the pond, trying to leave the memories, but something held him in place. He could not outmaneuver the invisible grip or the pain in his heart. Then, it occurred to him. The toys from his last vision brought untold hours of pain and loneliness. The image of himself playing alone with them struck his own heart with grief. He held onto the vision of him and the horse until suddenly he felt warmth spread through his body. His hands in the water began to tingle as the heat intensified. All the while, Landon held on to the image of himself with his toy horse in his mind. He held himself across the chest feeling the anguish build inside of him. Then without thinking he threw his arms outward from his body exploding a massive ball of fire with him. It vaporized the water he was floating in which dropped him to his feet only a foot below where he was suspended. The crystals and gems in the walls captured the light and emitted a brilliance radiance fully illuminating the room.

Landon stood amazed at the burst of energy that had emerged from him. He felt his skin and realized it was dry. He turned toward the rim of the tarn and began to crawl his way out. He retrieved his clothes with an understanding of how to control his power. All he needed to do was capture the image in his mind. He began to exit the room when he realized he had just vaporized a lake that had lay there for countless centuries. He felt guilty. But he knew he needed to return to Aldous and share his newfound discovery. He ran out of the cavern as fast as he could.

With his first step outside of the room, however, the light from the tarn vanished, and Landon was enveloped in darkness once again. His first thought was to panic then he realized he had just discovered the ability to create fire and light. He closed his eyes and conjured up the image of him with the toy horse. Immediately, his hands began to tingle. He intensified his focus on the image and on the feeling in his hand. He tried to feel the tingle consolidated in his hands. He felt as it grew heavier and became a solid burning feeling. He opened his eyes and in his hands was a small ball of flame. Landon noticed that he only felt a slight warmth instead of the intense heat he should have been feeling. He looked around for something to create a torch with, but found nothing. In exasperation, he threw the ball of flame to the ground. Then, it occurred to him.
If I can hold the flame in my hands without being burned, why do I need a torch?

He closed
his eyes again to focus on the image, then, when he felt the prickle in his hands, he formed it into another ball of flame. He opened his eyes, and sure enough, he held an orb which lit the corridor. He used it to light his way back towards the dwelling. He carried the flame through the hallways, turning right and left following the arrows he had carved into the walls, and made his way back into the great chamber where Aldous was still sitting sipping from his cup and reading a scroll. He looked up leisurely.

“Well now, how about that? The tarn gave you what you needed.”

“Aye, it did,” Landon said as he let tossed flame harmlessly into the tunnels. “What comes next?”

“Next, we refine your skill. You can make balls of flame for light, but that will not be enough for the approaching tempest. You must reach a level capable of creating lightning at will, melting objects with an intense heat, and master every kind of possible scenario fire can give.”

“Sounds exciting, how do I do that?” Landon asked eagerly.

“The daughter of Lord Dawson of Ellington has gone missing. I am sending you to find her and return her safely to her father. First, you will need to speak with Lord Dawson. I am giving you these provisions which should last you for a month.” He handed Landon a sack already packed. “You will find Aquila cleaned and prepared for the journey as well.”

“When do we leave?” Landon inquired.

“This journey is for you alone,” Aldous said. “But you will leave this hour. Always practice your skill, and remember, creating is always more fatiguing than manipulating. When Lady Mackenzie is home safe, return here and we will continue.” With those last words, Aldous bid Landon a farewell and retired to his chamber. Landon stood shocked. He thought Aldous was going to teach him how to develop his skill. Why had he sent him on this wild mission when he did not have the skills he needed? Having to be content without an answer, Landon retrieved his sword from the room with Gavin, who was still unconscious, and returned to the great room. Standing alone in the great room that had once seemed strange, Landon felt as though he were saying goodbye to his second home. He slung the pack over his shoulder, turned to walk away, and disappeared into the darkness.

Chapter Sixteen

Brigands and Blades

A patch of grass and earth gave way as Landon thrust the trap door upward through the ground. A blast of light exploded into his eyes. Immediately, he fell backwards down the steps letting the door slam shut. Composing himself, he tried again to open the door, this time much slower. His eyes gradually accustomed to the light before he swung the door open flinging pieces of earth. Landon stepped out into the cool morning and was greeted by a breath of fresh air. He hadn’t realized it, but he had forgotten what clean air tasted like. The mustiness of the caverns had become so natural.

He also noticed that the weather had changed slightly since he and Gavin first entered Aldous’ hideout. It was noticeably cooler than he remembered, so he decided to use his power to keep warm. He closed his eyes to find the image, then, began to form the feeling in his hands into a solid object. He opened his eyes and there, resting in his cupped hands, was a ball of flame. As soon as he had created it Landon realized that there was no way to draw warmth from it, so he let it drop to the ground. On impact, the flames spread out as a liquid across the tan grass. Instantly, it caught fire. Panic gripped him, and he understood his mistake. He was no longer under the ground standing on dry earth. He had to be more careful. The fire began to spread across the area.

Landon thought rapidly about how to fix the situation. He watched as the fire began to quickly consume the drought ridden ground. He could already smell the sickly sweet odor of burning grass. Hurriedly he decided to try to call the fire back to himself. He had never controlled the fire, only created it. This would be a good test of his ability. Quickly, he closed his eyes and found his power. He tried to envision the entire area on fire and feel all of the flames around him. In his mind he could see the fire destroying the grass. He stretched his arms out in front of him pointing towards the center of the conflagration. Landon believed he could feel everything and, once he was ready, pulled his arms into himself. He thrust his arms back out in front of him and, once again, pulled them into himself. Landon could feel the edge of the flames with his mind. As he reached out with his hands again, he felt as though he grasped hold of that edge and pulled it slowly towards him. He continued this motion until the large outer edges of the fire receded. Landon quickened his pace, pulling the fire back towards him until in his hands rested another ball. He opened his eyes and saw that the ground was blackened from where it was burned.

The ball in his hands was decidedly bigger than the one he had dropped just minutes before. Now, he just needed to find a way to dispose of the flame properly. He looked around for somewhere to put it, and immediately the chimney sticking out of the roof of the hut caught Landon’s attention. He carefully opened the broken door with his feet and walked into the abandoned place cautious not to let the flames spread to the building. In the far corner of the front room was the old hearth. Landon was not sure how long it had been since it had been used, but he figured it was his best option. He walked over to the fireplace and laid the ball into its mouth. The flames exploded with a burst, then hastily quieted down keeping only old embers alight.
What a waste
, Landon thought. He was just warned about wasting energy in using his power, and the first instance he found to use it, he wasted it.

Drafts of cold wind blew through the deteriorated building. They stoked the fire Landon had just created in the hut. He stood close to it trying to feel its warmth, but it was being overshadowed by the wind. Looking around the inside of the hut he found some old decrepit pieces of wooden furniture.
I’m sure no one will miss this
. He broke off a few pieces from an old chair and tossed them into the fire. Then, he concentrated on the embers beneath the new wood and tried to build enough flame for it to catch. The process began to tire him. He had already created and wasted a ball of flame, now he was trying to create again. He focused his energy on the embers and watched as the orange turned to red, then to purple, further to blue, and finally ignited the timbers. Landon fell to his knees. The energy he had expended in the last few minutes had taxed him a great deal. He was beginning to understand the limit of his strength. His eyes grew heavy, and he longed for rest. The energy cost of his ring was more than he had imagined. If he was going to become proficient, he needed to find a way to replenish his energy or ration it. He sat down in front of the flames and let the warmth roll over his body. The warmth began to replenish what he had already spent.

Landon knew, however, rest was not in his foreseeable future. He needed to get Aquila, ride to the summit of Ellington, and speak with Lord Dawson. For the moment, though, he rested near the fire letting the warmth revive him. He felt himself grow less weary as he took in the heat. He felt it move throughout his body battling the drafts in the old shack. After sitting by the hearth for a good amount of time, Landon knew it was time to move on. He stood leaving the fire to burn.

At that instant, the door to the cabin flung inward. Landon spun around to see what had caused it to do so. In the doorway stood Gavin, sword in hand. It hung at his side dripping blood. Blood was also smeared on his face, there was a deep gash on his left side. Red was seeping through his tunic. He took a few shaky steps forward and almost collapsed onto the floor. He caught himself with the back of the chair Landon had ripped apart for the fire.

“Give it to me,” Gavin rasped. He seemed a wild man on a mission.

“Give what to you, friend?” Landon said his poor attempt at being modest. In truth, he knew exactly what Gavin was after.

“That ring of fire!” He screamed. “You are such a fool. Did you really think I was unaware that whole time? As you and Aldous held your secret conference, I listened and waited until you revealed all of its secrets. Now that you have, it will be mine!”

“Gavin … you misunderstand,” said Landon trying to remain calm. “The ring is of no use to you.” Gavin took another step forward. “I intend no evil with it but to use this gift to help the world.”

“What a waste.” Gavin retorted.  “All this time we have spent together, and I haven’t hardened you one bit? You are still the worthless runt we captured in Camsbury,” He raised his sword towards Landon.

“I will not fight you,” Landon said calmly. “You are wounded. You would stand no chance.” He closed his eyes and focused on the flames at his back.
I wonder if I can pull a ball from the flames
. Using the energy from the hearth, he formed a small ball of flame in his hand as if to add credence to his statement. He impressed himself that he was able to so quickly using a different source than himself.
I need to remember this for later
.  Immediately, with apparent difficulty, Gavin stepped backwards. His eyes held the truth of Landon’s words, but his insanity amid them grew stronger still.

“I fear you not. You have well admitted your inability to kill.”

“I do not intend to kill you.”

“Then perhaps you intend to merely harm and disable me with that flame? I think not. You will see the inside of a dark box before I let that happen.”

“It is not a fight I seek,” Landon said throwing the flame back into the fire.  “But if you are so set on fighting me, there is little I can do.” He drew his sword. Gavin stepped into a defensive position. Then a thought sparked in Landon’s mind.
If I can show him compassion, perhaps he will understand why he cannot have the ring.

“If it is a fight you seek, then let it be a fair fight. There would be no honor in winning a fight with an injured man. Let me use my power to close your wound. Then, we shall fight. Should you win, your prize will be the ring.  But should I win,
the ring is mine and there shall be no attempts of reprisal.”

Gavin lowered his sword to contemplate the decision before him. Landon moved back towards the hearth filling himself with more strength. Landon watched as Gavin moved back towards the door and noticed his gait was stronger. Gavin stood deep in thought for a long few minutes. Landon paced in front of the cabin’s fire drawing energy. At long last his enemy looked up. The look of insanity had nearly vanished from Gavin’s face and the friend that Landon had come to know was reappearing.

“I swear on the name of my father, Meshael, no treachery will come from me. But let me make one more stipulation. This fight is one to the death. There will be only one of us left alive.”

Landon was uneasy about this stipulation. Since the bandit on the road, Landon swore never to kill again, but a steady fear had been growing within him. Now it was coming to fruition. He knew that a day would come when he would be forced to kill or survive. He just did not anticipate it being with Gavin.

“I am agreed,” he said reluctantly, though he kept his doubts about Gavin’s intentions.  Landon walked slowly towards Gavin recognizing a need for caution. Throughout his travels with the man, Landon had come to know Gavin to be deceitful. He knew that when his life was on the line, he would fight like a lion to preserve it. Because of this, Landon was extremely wary of his old companion.

As he neared Gavin, Landon called upon the energy from his ring to bring forth a heat that would cauterize the wound in Gavin’s side. He was very much exhausted from his labor in creating the fire earlier, but Landon could not show this to Gavin. Any hint of weakness would be exploited. Besides, Gavin had no way of knowing how proficient Landon was with his power. He decided he should exaggerate to build some fear into his foe.

The heat began to build in his hands and Landon let a number of small flames fly from his fingers as if to indicate he was in full control. Gavin’s eyes held a slight discomfort. He lifted his shirt to reveal the wound. The cut stretched from under the armpit down to the waistline. It looked as though it was caused from a frantic downward slash of a sword. Landon reached out with his hands pouring as much heat into them as he could and placed them on Gavin’s side. Gavin flinched at the touch.

Landon began at the top focusing his energy into a beam instead of a ball. He wanted to use the heat from the fire to draw from but the hearth was too far away. Instead, he was forced to use his own strength. He could feel the heat move from his hands into Gavin’s flesh. He steadied his hand until the top of the gash began to close, then he moved his way down slowly closing each inch as he went. Small pools of blood dripping from the cut were beginning to form at Landon’s feet. It was also covering his hands. The painful thought of having blood on his hands from another man’s death was quickly turning to a reality. Landon thought it to be an omen.

Gavin winced when Landon closed the deepest part under his ribs and stifled a short gasp. As Landon edged closer to the end of Gavin’s cut, he could feel his power fleeing him. Once again he tried to call on the fire from the mantle to supplement his work. He knew it was out of his reach, but Landon also thought that if he spent his energy trying to expand his reach, he would be able to resupply after he was done and before the fight. Closing his eyes and trying to imagine the distance to the fire, Landon reached out toward the flames. In his mind he could see his power as a hand extending from his body. The arm was longer than his other two by far, but was just short of the flames.

He stretched it towards the hearth as though reaching for a tool in the barn that was too high to reach. Weariness began to fill him. He relaxed. Again Landon tried to reach out to the flames and this time he was able to extend slightly farther. His efforts had extended his muscle. He stretched further than before ignoring the fatigue that he felt until, in his mind, his fingers wrapped around the blaze in the mantle. Landon felt a slight rejuvenation begin as he opened his eyes and used the new found heat to finish his work on Gavin’s side.

All the while he noticed his enemy begin to stand a little taller. A hint of regret panged him. He wondered if he really could defeat Gavin in a fair fight. The man had spent years as a cold-blooded killer defending his life in countless combats. Landon had relatively no experience. He thought for a moment about making his own treachery and releasing the rest of his energy into Gavin just to kill him now, but his fear and vow stopped him. He had given his word, now he needed to finish the job he started.

Landon refocused on the last part of the wound and used his remaining energy to begin the finishing touches on Gavin’s side. Suddenly, a terrible pain tore through his head. His arms became heavy and dropped to his side. The cabin and the earth upon which it stood rotated as his body slumped to the floor. Darkness began to overwhelm him, but before it enveloped him, the truth of what just happened occurred to him. Rage of being deceived welled up inside of Landon in a way he felt he could not contain. He tried to focus his eyes on his assailant, but they would not work. In a blur, Landon saw a figure reach out to him and try to pull something from his hand. He could not feel what was happening but knew Gavin was taking his ring. The rage inside burst and all at once the cabin lit up. Blurred colors of red and orange swirled behind the dark figure in front of him who was struggling with the ring on his finger. Finally, Landon gave up fighting and let the darkness take him.

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When Landon awoke, he found himself lying in the midst of a hollowed and burnt shell of a house. Everything around him, including his clothes had been scorched. The only things remaining were his sword and sheath which somehow survived. It was his shivering which had wakened him. Slowly he began to sit up, but a pain rocked his head. Groggily, Landon remembered the last moments before everything went black. He reached up to feel his head, and on the left side there was dried blood along with what felt like a cut. Gavin must have knocked him about the head with the hilt of his sword.
He had given his word on his father’s name and still deceived me
, Landon realized.
The darkest parts of hell were reserved for men like Gavin.
Landon tried to show him compassion and once again Gavin had lied to get what he wanted. But the fight was not over, one of them was still alive. But why had Gavin left him alive? Gavin was the one who had wanted a death match. Surely he would have known that Landon would come again for his ring.
My ring!
Landon looked down at his right hand and saw that it was missing. He suddenly remembered struggling with Gavin for his ring. It was the only thing Gavin had wanted.