The Keeper of the Stones

Chapter 39



18th/19th August – The Wizards



Jake, Ben and Verastus were deep within the Phelanagarth Mountains, safe from harm for the time being and able to relax a little for the first time since they had all met. The two young boys had almost ‘lost their grip’ on reality by now, the world as they knew it had been turned completely on its head with the events of the past few days. So, now that it came to sitting down and conversing with a real life wizard, they both ‘took it in their stride’, acting as if it was an everyday occurrence.

The three companions walked over to Tien and sat down beside him. Ben couldn’t fail to notice that there was a rabbit-like creature roasting on an open spit, he licked his lips and then hungrily pulled off a leg when Tien gestured at him to help himself, almost burning his fingers in the process as he juggled the hot meat from hand to hand.

“So,” the wizard began, once they had all sat down, “now that you are finally here, Jake, where would you like me to begin?” he asked invitingly.

“Err… You can start by telling me how you know of us? How do you know my name?” answered Jake. “And the others? You must live a lonely existence up here, how do you know so much about us?”

Tien smiled warmly at the boys. “I live alone, yes. But I am not blind. Indeed, my old eyes have seen far too much these past few years. Sights I wish I had never seen. It may be difficult for you to understand. I suppose I will say that I am blessed, and I am cursed, with the gift of foresight. Though, I can only see what I am allowed to see. No more, and no less. I can not change the future, Jake. But I can sometimes warn of events to come.”

“Yes. Okay, I understand that, I think. But it doesn’t explain how you know about me? And sacrifice? You talked about a sacrifice before? What sacrifice? What does that mean?” asked Jake eagerly. Tien sat back in his chair, he altered his position several times to make himself comfortable and then he replied.

“The powers I possess are limited, Jake. I am not all powerful, there are things I cannot do, things I cannot say, for to speak may alter some future reaction, one that must take place, regardless of the pain it causes, or the consequences for those involved. You all have to accept this fact, you cannot challenge me on this, if you are to finally prevail!” he said, looking into the eyes of each of them in turn to gauge their reaction. Nobody replied, so Tien continued talking.

“Jake, your coming was foretold to me many years ago, when all thought the Keeper had been killed, and along with him, all hope of seeing the stones again. I alone knew that one day he would come back. Though I could tell no one, for fear of altering what had to be. Knowledge of your impending return may have affected the judgement of our people, instead of resisting Vantrax, they have surrendered, or gone into hiding, awaiting your return. Can you see? I have been waiting for this day ever since.”

He stopped abruptly in mid sentence for no apparent reason. His expression changed completely, he suddenly became more intense, and he leant forward.

“The world we have known, everything that we now hold dear, will, I am afraid to say, come to the very brink of destruction! These events are already set in motion. It will come to pass. There is nothing we can do to stop it. The evil powers in this land have grown far too strong in the Keeper’s absence. But... The end is not written. I cannot see that far ahead. There, my gift has forsaken me. I only know… That we now have to earn the right to be allowed to fight for our survival. The balance of power has shifted too far. Nothing now is given. We must fight! We will have to rise from the ashes of despair, there will be much heartache and sorrow ahead for us all. We will be tested, as we have never been tested before. And for our world to survive, we must all pass that test! As I have said, nothing is for certain, Jake. You have to remember that.

They told me that you were too young for this task. They said your powers would not yet be developed. That you are not as strong as you will surely need to be, to defeat Vantrax. They do not believe in you, Jake. Not yet. They are not convinced that you can defeat the evil one and his warrior. They believe that his magic is too strong for you, that he has already grown too powerful.”

“Who say? Who? You’re talking in riddles. Talk plainly, Tien. Please tell me, who?” begged Jake, growing increasingly concerned at what he was hearing, and wanting desperately to understand more.

Tien sat back in his chair again. He relaxed a little as he prepared to explain further, rubbing his chin for a second or two as he thought of what to say.

“I will try to explain all that I can. Many, many years ago now, when I was a young man not much older than you both, this land was torn apart by successive years of endless conflict. The forces of evil were everywhere, they were numerous, and they were very powerful. We moved from one war to the next. It seemed to us all then that we would never be allowed to live in peace. But then, just when we were at our lowest ebb, when all hope appeared to have deserted us, they came!” the wizard stated dramatically.

“Who? Who came?” asked Ben.

“Yes, Tien. Who came?” added Verastus, completely unaware of who, or what, Tien was referring to.

“The Heynai. That is what I named them, for they had no title. Heynai is the old Ruddite word for spirits. They are not mortal beings, Jake. They exist in a state somewhere between life and death, not flesh and blood like you and I, more like a dream. Heynai, it is taken from the word He’yn, the Spiritworld where they stated their souls remained in a transient state before entering the afterlife. They were all mighty wizards once, mortals who cheated death and sacrificed everything to help the people of Estia, choosing to remain with us and fight when death came for them, to help all the unfortunate souls of this land. Their aims were pure and simple; to cleanse it of the evil that had infiltrated it to its very core, to battle against the evil forces for as long as it took, for all eternity if needed. They became a tremendous force for good, Jake! At long last, the few pure wizards of this land had allies, hope and guidance. But, they needed a mortal presence to do their bidding and spread their word, and their ‘vessel’ for this task, was me. I was young then, arrogant and naïve. But they knew that my heart was pure and I wanted desperately to help the people. I was sickened by the wars, I wanted to serve the forces of good in any way I could. I made a bargain with them; my life, such as it was, would be theirs for as long as I lived. I would devote my life to wizardry and magic. I would learn all that I could, use the powers they gave me for the welfare of the innocent and pure of heart. But, I was no warrior, my influence on the battlefield was limited. I alone could not protect the people from harm, I had no weapons to defeat the instruments of evil that the dark wizards now commanded, all those evil warriors who were summoned to plague this land!” he said bitterly.

“So that’s where my ancestor came in?” asked Jake, who was listening intently and ‘hanging on’ to Tien’s every word.

“Yes, Jake. The spirits decided they needed someone pure, someone untouched and uncorrupted by the evils of this world. They would produce a weapon for us, one of awesome power that we could use to defend our people. But they were wary. They had learned through bitter experience not to trust anyone here, where we were so easily corrupted. They did not trust anyone here to wield it. Jacob West, your forefather, was chosen from another world. Why? I was told at the time that he was honest and brave, it was as simple as that. And that is exactly what he proved to be. The spirits told me to gather five stones, five precious gems, each one a different rare element, and all of them had to be roughly the same size. The centre stone had to be Reolite. It took a long time to find them all, but I eventually did. I made an ordinary wooden box to house them in, just as I was instructed. It was nothing special, but they took it from me and somehow they carved a pattern onto it. Then they placed the crest on its top. The rest, I believe you can guess at.”

The old wizard finished speaking and looked at the three bewildered faces in front of him. They all seemed to be trying hard to digest the story they’d just been told. There was another short silence until finally, Jake responded with another question.

“But, that was all long ago, wasn’t it, Tien? What happened? Why are you still fighting? I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound rude but, why are you still alive?” he asked bluntly.

The old wizard laughed slightly at Jake’s candour. “Ha ha... No. Never apologise for asking questions, Jake. Only through the acquisition of knowledge do we grow. It is your right to ask questions when you do not understand, your duty in fact. Well, let me say this; I had promised my life to them, I had sworn to serve them until all evil had been purged from this land. In time, we were relatively successful. We eventually defeated all those we knew of. Keeper after Keeper came and went. And yet, we still found ourselves fighting. More and more evil tyrants continued to emerge, some that we had scarcely heard of. Time and time again we would defeat someone and it would be quiet for a time, peaceful, and then... Another war. Another fight. I did not die because we always had someone to defeat. This land was never purged of evil. My body aged with time, but I did not lose my strength. My vitality, my mind, grew along with it. The wisdom I gained made me a greater wizard and I was able to aid the Keepers more and more, until...”

He stopped in mid sentence again, suddenly halting and changing the direction of the conversation in an obviously deliberate manner.

“And so we come to the present. King Vantrax is the last in a long line of adversaries for me. I hope that he is the very last, for I grow weary of fighting. And waiting. Listen to me, Jake. He is powerful, very powerful, perhaps the greatest wizard we have faced! He was tutored by a mighty sorcerer for many years, and he is all the more dangerous for it. Unlike the others, he uses a Reolite stone against us. I do not possess the power to oppose a weapon of such magnitude. Not when it is in the hands of someone equally as powerful as I. At least, not until now.”

Jake’s concentration was interrupted as he heard Ben gulp hard beside him. He looked over briefly at his friend and shook his head at him, before returning his gaze to Tien, and inviting him to continue.

“I do not know why it has taken so long for you to come this time, Jake? Well, when I say ‘you’, I mean the Keeper of course. I have to admit that I never expected you to be so young. I saw the vision, but you look even younger in person. Kraar, it does not matter now. You are here, and I will help you in any way I can.”

Jake was unsure of what to say. He was ‘dying’ to ask more questions, but all of a sudden his mind had temporarily gone blank and he tried to look at Verastus and Ben for guidance. But Tien spoke again before he could.

“You do know that I was merely testing your resolve before, Jake? When I questioned you about why you were here? I wanted to see how you would respond, but... I must admit, it does intrigue me. Why have you not used the stones in anger so far? You have had good reason, and you have had the opportunity I think. You must have been tempted? I have had limited visions of the journey you have taken to date, short images, but I have not felt or heard the stones’ power?” he said questioningly.

The two young boys looked at each other surprised.

“You mean to tell me that you don’t know?” asked Ben, in a loud, sarcastic tone of voice. “’They’ haven’t told you?” he asked mockingly.

“Told me what young Ben?” snapped Tien angrily in reply, picking up on Ben’s tone. “And as for ‘they’, I have not seen ‘them’ for several years.” he added.

“Err... The stones, they’re damaged.” said Jake sheepishly, anticipating an immediate and angry response from the wizard.

Tien did not disappoint. “Damaged??!! Damaged? What... What do you mean, ‘damaged?’” he demanded furiously, rising up out of his chair in a movement that was as fast as lightning. The three friends all fell backwards, shocked by Tien’s astonishing speed. It was Ben who recovered first to speak.

“Err... They don’t work!” he answered, in a less than helpful, defiant manner.

Tien glared at him for a second or two, then he seemed to regain his composure and he stretched out his bony hand. “Here! Pass the box to me, let me see.” he ordered.

Ben took the box out of his bag and handed it to the wizard. Tien took one look at it and then immediately passed it over to Jake. “Open it please, Jake. Let us see what ‘damage’ has been done.” he instructed.

Jake passed his palm over the top of the box. It opened very slowly as it had done before. When it was fully open, he passed it to Tien and took a step backwards. The wizard examined the box carefully, peering into it fm all angles for several minutes and touching a few of the stones with his bony fingers. While he was looking at it, Verastus spoke to him.

“Srr… The box was damaged when the boys entered our world. When they came through the light, it fell some distance down the mountainside and it has not worked fully since, we were hoping that...”

“Hope??? Hope you say? You may well have destroyed all the ‘hope’ we have! If these stones cannot be repaired, I... No! No. It is too disastrous to even contemplate. I sense that there is still some power left in the corner stones. But the Reolite stone is completely destroyed. Charrgh... Well my friends, this is the size of the task we now face; the four corner stones will continue to maintain the power in the box, hopefully long enough for us to complete our quest. But they will all have to be replaced. Including the Reolite! Krraas, but this is terrible!” cried Tien, shaking his head violently in despair.

Something deep inside of Ben snapped. He didn’t realise he was speaking until it was too late. His legendary short fuse had the better of him once again, and his brain was now ‘playing catch up with his mouth.’

“Hey!” he shouted furiously at the wizard. “We didn’t ask for all of this you know! We never wanted to be some kind of superheroes! We were just happy minding our own business until you, Harry, Artrex, Vanthingymabobb and all your war and...”

He stopped himself, suddenly realising what he’d just said in his fit of anger. But he was too furious to halt completely, and he carried on with his outburst.

“We’re just boys you know! Boys! What right have you, or Harry, or anyone to shove this onto Jake? As if you gave him any real choice in the matter!” he shouted angrily.

“Harry? Why do you mention Harry? You have seen him! He lives?” interrupted Tien, shocked and amazed at the sudden mention of his old friend’s name.

The boys were stunned into silence by the direct question about Jake’s grandfather. Ben began feeling a little guilty for speaking out, although he still raged with anger and felt that he’d been justified in his outburst. Jake didn’t know how he should respond and was strangely subdued. Tien instantly calmed down when he saw the boy’s reaction to what he’d asked. His whole demeanour seemed to change again to one of empathy and concern.

“Well, I suppose it’s a very long story.” answered Jake eventually.

Tien sat back in his chair, gesturing to the others to do likewise. “So, make yourselves comfortable and talk.” he said calmly. “I must know everything, if I am to help.”

Jake and Ben, with a little help from Verastus, relayed the whole story as they knew it to the old wizard. When they’d finished, they were both physically and mentally drained. Everyone fell silent for a while, and in due course, it was Verastus who spoke.

“So, Tien. What now? You have heard the tale so far, will you once again write the pages of history? Does your promise of earlier still hold true? Will you help us to restore the stones?”

Tien stared at each of them in turn, as if trying once again to gauge their sincerity and fortitude. Eventually, he replied.

“Yes, Verastus. I will help you. After all, it is what I do. It will not be easy though! I know of a few stones. We may be able to replace the corner gems, if our journeys are free from incident, which I seriously doubt. Vantrax must know of your intentions by now, he will not let you restore the stones if he can stop you. Word will have spread of your deeds, Jake. The journey will be fraught with danger. But, the centre stone... There is only one piece of Reolite that I know of which is large enough. That is...”

“Yes. I know, Tien.” interrupted Jake, guessing correctly the wizards thoughts. “But if that is what has to happen, then...”

“Ra! Spoken like a true Keeper.” Tien shouted, his spirits buoyed by the determination in Jake’s eyes. “So be it. The journey will begin tomorrow. The centre stone will wait until last. We may find another way, another stone perhaps?”

“Tomorrow?” asked Ben, a little disappointed. “Why not now?”

“Ha, ha... Time is getting on, Ben. It is late in the afternoon, we will not be able to travel far before having to rest for the night, better to rest fully in the safety of the mountain and start early in the morning. We will need the time to put as much distance between us and those Taskans as possible!” stated Tien.

The old wizard shuddered as he mentioned the warriors he knew were combing the countryside below them. He knew the Taskans had doubled their patrols after chasing the three fugitives, for he’d seen it all in a vision.

Tien knew a lot more. More than he could tell, though he desperately wanted to speak.

In the end though, all he could manage was, “Yuurgghhh, Taskans. Nasty creatures!”