Last Messenger - Chapter 27

Chapter 27 - Aael

Aael shifted his weight, trying to relieve some of the strain on his legs. He had sat at the top of this tree for hours, watching his parents and Raph trudge toward the horizon with their fully loaded camels. His dad had insisted on taking so much back that a long slow trip was guaranteed. He knew his father never did things without purpose and wondered why Caden traveled this way. Was he buying time for himself or for Aael?

The distant trio stopped, and Aael magnified their image in his mind to see them better. The riders turned around, as if sensing his attention. He leaned forward, causing his foot to slip, and he almost fell from his perch. Regaining his position, he quickly found them again.

One rider waved their hand above their head, while the other two sat unmoving. Aael waved back at his mom, confident she could see the movement. They all turned and continued on their journey. Almost immediately the horizon swallowed them.

Aael’s vision blurred as he wondered if he’d ever see them again. He quickly wormed his way down to his platform. Emptiness mingled with fear as he felt truly alone for the first time in his life. Placing his back against one of the thicker branches, he pulled his legs into his body, and rested his forehead on his knees. Thoughts of his mom, and the last few hours they’d spent together, swirled in his thoughts.

After returning from the talk with Caden, Aael had spent the rest of the night with his mom. She told stories about when Aael was young, and about the trouble he’d caused. He’d heard most of them before, but knowing he may never hear them again, or see his mom again, made them special.

Emotionally exhausted, Aael sat numbly high above the ground. Saying goodbye to his mom had been the hardest thing he’d ever done.

“Si’Aln.”

Aael peeked over his platform and found the Abbot looking up at him from far below. He sighed, no use trying to hide now. Instead of jumping, he slowly climbed down. He was in no hurry to talk to the Abbot, who had kept important secrets from him.

Reaching the bottom, Aael faced the Abbot, and waited quietly. The Abbot had come looking for him after all.

“Being away from family is hard,” the Abbot said.

“How would you know?” Aael snapped. He immediately felt guilty for his tone but smothered it with anger.

The Abbot smiled. “Will you walk the grove with me?”

Aael shrugged and silently followed the Abbot. After a minute, the Abbot spoke. “I was born into a wealthy family. When I was young, I snuck out of our house dressed in clothes I had stolen from our gardener’s son. Raln’s Festival had started, and I didn’t want to miss any of it.”

Aael kept his shock hidden. It had never occurred to him that the Abbot might have family. He’d assumed the Abbot was an orphan, and couldn’t imagine the Abbot stealing anything.

The Abbot laughed. “We were all young once, even me.”

They walked in silence for a while. Aael was still mad about the secrets, but the Abbot had piqued his interest. Why was the Abbot telling him this?

“I ended up in the town square. The monks were doing their yearly testing, and a long line of hopeful candidates had arrived. They all looked desperate, and hopeful that they held whatever the monks searched for. The monks providing the simplest way to escape their poverty.”

Aael knew about the festival, and the monks still went every year looking for those that could craft the Aln. Most years they came back with no one.

The Abbot continued. “There were seven monks. The heat made them look uncomfortable in their ceremonial robes as they brought each child forward to a table. Everyone I watched failed whatever test sat on the table, and the children left, their lives of despair would continue unabated.”

The Abbot paused and Aael wondered if the Abbot had finished just as it started getting interesting.

The Abbot finally continued. “A robed man in the crowd behind the monks caught my attention. He nodded at the table. Almost like giving me permission.” The Abbot laughed. “My memories are hazy, but that figure reminds me of your father.”

Aael didn’t dismiss that possibility. His dad was easily old enough, and since he controlled all three internal streams, including the Yellow, he could have easily mingled with a crowd using the power of a Ghost Mage.

“The longer I stood there, the more desperately I wanted to see what was on the table,” the Abbot said. “But I didn’t want to go near the strange monks. One item on the table seemed to vibrate the surrounding air. I could feel the waves it made like a stone dropped into a pond. Something in my chest responded to those waves, and I reached out with it.”

The Abbot paused again, and this time Aael couldn’t help himself.

“And?”

The Abbot smiled at Aael, and then his face grew serious. “An old, blind monk who had sat there silent the entire time, cried out and collapsed. In the commotion that followed, I gripped the vibrating item on the table with whatever lived inside my chest and pulled it. It flew at me, striking me in the chest and knocking me to the ground. No one noticed what I’d done, as everyone remained fixated on the monks. I held the small ball I’d pulled off the table, stunned at what had happened. Then I got up and ran for home.”

“You took off? After taking part of the monks’ test?”

“I felt scared and confused. I had just moved something without even touching it, at a place I didn’t belong, and I acted without thinking. Something you’re familiar with,” the Abbot said with a smile.

Aael ignored the jibe. “Is that the first time you’d felt your Void?”

“Yes. I was only ten, and I know now how rare that is. Most don’t manifest until their teens.”

“What happened?”

“I had really hurt myself. The force of the ball had left a huge bruise on my chest. Worse, the thing inside me wouldn’t go away, and I could feel the ball no matter where I put it. I returned the clothes I’d taken and hid inside my room.”

“The ball was Aln, wasn’t it?”

The Abbot reached into the pouch that hung from his belt and tossed Aael a small round ball. The black and perfectly smooth surface contained the jagged red lines of Aln. “Yes.”

“This is it? The actual thing you stole?”

“Borrowed as it turned out.”

“Borrowed?”

“Two hours later the monks arrived at my home.”

“They came to your house,” Aael said in disbelief. “How did they find you?”

The Abbot nodded to the ball in Aael’s hand.

“They tracked this?” Aael asked.

“More accurately, they tracked my Void, which remained wide open. I was like a candle in a dark room.”

“Did they punish you?”

The Abbot thought about the question. “Punish is the wrong word. They altered my course and gave me a harder path.”

“What did they do to you?”

“They wanted to talk to me. My father was furious that they were there, and wanted them out.”

“Did they tell him what you’d done?”

“No. They told him I had the gift. That I must learn to control it, and that I should leave with them.”

“They wanted to take you?”

“Yes. My father raged at the monks, who stood quietly, waiting. The blind monk who had collapsed, looked directly at me, and told me I had triggered a vision. A prophecy. And told me I was special.”

“Spoiler, I know you ended up with the monks. What did your father say?”

“Say? He had no power over the monks. They can take whoever they wish, regardless of station. But they wouldn’t force me to join them if I didn’t want to. When my father saw my hesitation, it made him angry. He told me if I left, he disowned me, and that I could never return.”

“Never? How could he say that to a little kid?”

“My father was a tyrant, and I feared him. He had already planned my entire life, and then this thing inside me arrived and ruined all his plans. Even though I was only ten, and even with all my privileges, I still felt trapped by my father. I wanted to learn more about this strange thing inside me, and at that age, I didn’t understand the consequences of my choice. Of never seeing my family again. I spent a lot of nights crying, regretting my decision.”

“Do you still?”

The Abbot looked at Aael and smiled. “I wouldn’t change anything.”

Aael felt horrible for telling the Abbot he didn’t know what it felt like to miss family. “I’m sorry about what I said.”

“I know. You have a quick temper but a good heart. Not the worst mix a man can have.”

They had circled the grove, and the coolness of the morning had surrendered to the heat of the day.

“What did the blind monk tell you?”

The Abbot smiled, but it seemed sad.

“He told me I would save this world. That I would save it with a single word.”