The Keeper of the Stones

Chapter 42



20th August – LLeagh Forest - Nadjan



Jake’s next move was instinctive. He stepped forward quickly and with expert timing to meet the first of the enemy horsesoldiers, then he ducked and swerved with lightning speed under the oncoming Taskan’s sword and sliced the mounted warrior across his weak stomach as he passed by, expertly killing him with one swift blow and then standing upright with astonishing speed, ready to meet the next attacker. As Jake stepped out of the line, Verastus instinctively followed him. He engaged the second of the riders, swinging his mighty sword at the Taskan as he rode past. But his blow met the creature’s double-edged blade with a mighty ‘clang’ and the rider continued his momentum unharmed, riding into the trees for some distance before managing to stop his horse. The Taskan dismounted to launch an attack of his own, this time on foot and from the rear.

Jake and Verastus were now fighting desperately with the remaining Taskans in front of the trees, all of whom had dismounted just short of the forest as they naturally preferred to fight on foot. Tien was locked in a personal duel with the solitary Pralon, swift blows and parries being exchanged between the pair with Tien once again exhibiting the speed and agility of someone much younger. The Pralon was alarmingly fast, but he wasn’t a skilled swordsman and Tien appeared to be holding his own against him, his mind seemingly able to predict each intended strike from the Pralon’s weapon.

While the other three were fighting in front of the forest, Ben had been left to take care of the solitary Taskan who had rode into the trees and dismounted behind them. The terrifying warrior was now striding towards him purposefully, with his double edged sword held out in front of his body. True to form, Ben reacted without thinking. Though the fear inside him was palpable, he ran at the Taskan and launched himself into a frenzied attack, screaming at him fiercely and reigning down blow after blow with his sword, as fast as he could.

This Taskan though, was a seasoned veteran of many campaigns, he was more than a match for the young boy’s efforts and he easily defended himself from Ben’s multiple, varied, but totally uncoordinated attacks. He parried blow after blow until Ben’s strength began to fail him, his lunges became ragged and he began breathing hard. The Taskan saw what was happening to his young opponent and seized the initiative. He twirled his sword around expertly and began to launch his own attacks onto the exhausted Ben, with a speed and accuracy that the young boy’s defensive efforts just couldn’t cope with.

Ben was cut several times on his arms and legs by the sword, the pain of each cut being dimmed slightly by the adrenalin that was now running wildly through his body. He continued to fight on, but he couldn’t launch any attacks of his own, the speed of the Taskan’s sword being far too great for him. He was trying desperately now to block the Taskan’s blows, fighting to survive!

Finally, the warrior’s sword breached Ben’s defences and it sliced into his stomach, tearing open the flesh. It was a glancing blow which wasn’t a fatal wound, but Ben dropped to his knees with the pain and shock of it. He was now totally shattered, he dropped his sword with exhaustion and, realising that he was finished, he stared up at his Taskan assailant, resigned to his fate.

The Taskan towered above the young fifteen year old boy with his sword raised and poised to strike. The fight had been a mismatch from the beginning. But the young Ben had given a good account of himself and he was happy for that. He fully expected now to die. He knew that he probably only had the time it would take the Taskan to deliver the final blow, a few seconds at most.

In such circumstances, a few seconds can seem like a lifetime and Ben’s whole life suddenly flashed through his mind. Curiously, he felt no fear, all his pain had subsided briefly and a strange sense of calm and serenity overcame him, as he thought of home.

‘Home. What home? There’s no one who’ll miss me too much back home. Sure, Jake will be mortified by my death, but he’ll survive. His family will be sad, but no one will be heartbroken for me back home. Dad’ll probably not even care. He probably won’t put his bottle down long enough to understand what’s happened. No, if I have to go, then this is as good a way as any, trying to help the one person in my life who’s stood by me, and shared in everything.’

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a sword whistling its way towards him at high speed.

The sword was not Taskan! The mighty warrior still towered over him with his sword raised, but Ben suddenly felt a sharp gust of wind whistle past his ear, followed by a fleeting glance of shiny metal, as an object flew past his eyes at tremendous speed and lodged itself deep into the flesh of the Taskan’s stomach.

Ben looked up at the stricken warrior. He stumbled backwards under the weight of the blow, the shock and pain of it etched onto his face. He stared down disbelievingly at the sword that was now embedded in him and his hands instinctively dropped his own sword to grasp at it. A split second later, he fell heavily to his knees, right in front of Ben. The Taskan was dying and, judging by his pained expression, obviously feeling the last remnants of life leaving his body.

In a last ditch moment of defiance, even as he took his last breath, the Taskan flicked out his long, thin, venomous tongue. He whipped it swiftly and viciously in Ben’s direction and the tip of it lashed against Ben’s cheek, cutting the flesh deeply, an instant before the warrior fell dead onto the floor.

Ben raised his hand to his face immediately with the pain of the blow, it stung like hell, and for a split second he closed his eyes and winced. Then he remembered how close he’d come to death and he turned to see where the sword that had saved his life had come from.

Striding towards him as fast as he could was the old wizard, a look of real concern now clearly etched on his face. Tien had seen what had happened to Ben and launched his own sword at the Taskan just in the nick of time, having killed the Pralon facing him more through luck than skill. But he had also witnessed the injury to Ben’s face, and he knew only too well what it meant!

Tien shouted loudly to Jake with real despair echoing in his voice as he ran. He reached Ben just in time to catch him, as the young boy collapsed. Jake and Verastus were still fighting the Taskan’s facing them. Jake was too skilled in combat for the enemy warriors and he’d already killed most of their number. Verastus too had proven to be an accomplished swordsman, occupying several of the enemy, killing one, and affording Jake the time to engage the rest. Only two Taskans remained facing them now as Jake glanced briefly over at the trees and saw Tien holding his badly wounded friend. The anger swelled within him until it exploded and he launched into a frenzy of action, throwing himself at the Taskans a speed and intensity that left Verastus wide eyed and open mouthed.

The Taskans stood no chance. They were cut down so fast they didn’t have the opportunity to raise their swords. Jake’s movements had been so quick that they’d appeared blurred to Verastus’ shocked and amazed eyes and, before the last Taskan hit the ground, Jake was already running over to Tien and Ben.

“Ben! Ben!” shouted Jake desperately, as he reached his friend. “Ben! Talk to me! What’s happened? Are you alright? Can you hear me?” he screamed loudly at him.

“He has been cut by a Taskan. His sword wounds will heal, but...” said Tien sadly, not wanting to say what he was clearly thinking. “Quickly, pass me his bag!” he shouted to Verastus. The Falorian ran to retrieve the bag, before returning sharply and handing it to the wizard. Tien reached inside and pulled out a small brown bottle, as the frantic Jake looked on.

“What’s that?” demanded Jake. “What are you giving him? Tell me, Tien! Tell me everything, I have to know!” he pleaded.

Tien talked to them as he poured the contents of the entire bottle into Ben’s mouth, anxious to administer it whilst the young boy was still able to swallow.

“Jake, a Taskan’s poison is very strong. In a few moments, Ben will be unable to move, unable even to speak. Already the poison is working its way to his heart. If we cannot remove it, he will be dead within a half a day.” answered the wizard truthfully. “There is not much that I can do against such a powerful weapon. The potion I have given will serve to give Ben more time. It will slow the poison down, but I am afraid that... Jake, I am sorry, I do not know that we can remove all of the poison, as we must!” he stated, looking sorrowfully into Jake’s tear-filled eyes. “I have known many such wounds in my time, sometimes we have been successful and the victim has been saved, but others have not always been so fortunate.”

“What? What the hell does that mean?” shouted Jake angrily, as his emotions ran away with him. Verastus placed a reassuring hand on Jake’s shoulder, it calmed the youngster down slightly and his expression changed from anger to one of despair, as he realised that venting his fury at his friends wouldn’t help the situation.

“We have perhaps saved one in four, Jake. He has a chance, but the odds are no greater than that on Rhuaddan.” said Tien gravely. They all fell silent for a short time as they considered Tien’s words. Ben’s eyes flickered and he whispered faintly, as he felt himself getting weaker.

“Jake? Jake? Are you there, Jake? I can’t see ya.”

Jake took hold of his friend’s hand and shuffled even closer to him, the tears now streaming down his face. “I’m here mate. I’m here as usual. You ain’t rid of me yet. How you feeling?” he asked anxiously.

“Jake... I’m really sorry pal. I’ve let you down. I’ve let everyone down. I nev...”

Ben drifted into unconsciousness, his whole body stiffened and he turned a ghostly shade of white within seconds, as the poison finally reached his heart.

“No! No!!!” screamed Jake hysterically, shaking his friend in a futile attempt to wake him.

Tien and Verastus said and did nothing. They felt completely helpless, as they witnessed the display of raw emotion and love for a friend.

“Ben! You hear me, Ben? You’ve never let me down you pillock! Ever! You’re the one person outside my family who’s always been there for me. You are my family! Don’t you leave me now, Ben Brooker! You hear me? The job’s not done. Not by a long way. I need your help. I can’t do this alone. You’re my rock. Ben! Ben!!!”

When Jake had calmed himself a little, he knelt by his friend for a while, hugging his stiff body and crying unashamedly like the child he was. For a few minutes, Tien and Verastus just watched him, unsure what to say or do. And then, all of a sudden, Jake’s head shot up swiftly.

“Hey! That’s it!” he shouted, wiping the tears vigorously from his face.

“What? What’s it?” asked Verastus.

“If the odds aren’t so great here on Rhuaddan, then we have to shorten those odds, don’t we?” shouted Jake, attempting to explain to his confused companions. “Don’t you both see? It’s the only way. There’s nothing else for it. We’re going home!” he declared.

“What??!!” asked Verastus alarmed. “What do you mean you’re going home? You can not…”

“Just that ‘V’!” interrupted Jake defiantly. “Home. My best friend’ll more than likely die if we stay here. I’m not going to let that happen! Your medicine and your magic can’t save him.” he added, turning to look directly at Tien. “But, in my world, he stands a chance. We have wonderful, powerful medicine. Our doctors are all magicians of a sort. They can perform wonders. I’m sure they can save him. I have to try!” he cried, pleading for understanding.

“But, you cannot go. You must not go! There are countless thousands of people here depending on you! People to whom you have sold a dream, Jake. No! It is you who has given them hope where no hope existed. It is you who has started this thing, and you have to finish it! We have taken on the mightiest wizard this world has ever known, for you. We are locked in a life or death struggle, against the largest army in history. We have bled for you, died for you. Our entire population is now looking to you. And you are now going to leave us? I am sorry Jake, but what is one boy’s life when compared to the fate of a nation? Of a continent? Do you really believe that Ben would want you to abandon us now? Because of him? And what of the King and Princess Zephany?” Verastus raged emotionally, with real fear and desperation, as he thought of what losing the leader of the Rebellion right now might mean.

He looked desperately towards Tien. “You! You, wizard! Say something! Tell him he is wrong! Tell him he must not go! Why do you say nothing now, when it matters the most?”

Tien stared sympathetically into Verastus’ eyes. He answered him in a soft, calm voice.

“I do not speak, Verastus, because I believe the Keeper to be right.” he said, turning to look at Jake. “He has to follow his own path. He must do what his heart tells him to do. There is a reason for everything, even if we do not understand. He is the descendant of Jacob and Harry, he was chosen to protect the stones. That is not a decision the spirits took lightly. It was not by chance that he was chosen, it was destiny. We have to trust him now to make the right choice. And we have to believe that he will return. For my part, I am willing to keep faith with this ‘boy.’ He has dsplayed no weakness here. No, if this is what is written, then it has to be. Go, Jake. Go. Go and save your friend. You will not fail us, I am certain of it.”

Jake nodded at Tien gratefully. Then he glanced over at Verastus, who was clearly bitterly disappointed by the wizard’s response and still looking disbelievingly at him.

“I’m sorry ‘V’, I will be back. I promise! You have my word. I won’t leave you for long mate, just until I know that Ben is safe. I have to do this, I have to know he’s gonna be alright. Then I’ll return, believe me.”

Verastus bowed his head in despair as Jake took the two pieces of Reolite that Tien had given him from out of his pocket. He carefully placed one back inside and he was just about to use the first, when Tien stopped him.

“Jake! What of the box of stones? Are you not taking them? You are the Keeper, you have to look after them, without them...”

He stopped in mid sentence, certain that Jake understood the gravity of his decision.

Jake stared briefly at the box in Tien’s hand.

“You keep them, Tien. Look after them for me. I leave them here with you, as a sign of good faith, to show all the people of Estia that I intend to return. As I have promised to do. Continue with the quest to find the stones, I will find you. The Reolite should return me to somewhere close to the stones’ location. That much I have learned. Now, I have to go, time may be critical for Ben!”

Tien nodded at him and Jake knelt down at his friend’s side. He lifted Ben’s stiff body up with a little help from Verastus, who rushed to his aid. Then he threw the Reolite stone on the floor in front of them as he shouted out loudly.

“LeaddFenukearalesskechad...... Ferek!”



The words came out of nowhere. He hadn’t thought, he’d just spoken, and it had flowed instinctively. A bright light shone out of the stone, it shot quickly up to the sky, reaching the clouds in less than a second. Jake nodded to Verastus, who let go of Ben. With a brief glance at Tien, he shoved Ben into the light, following immediately behind him and falling into it just before it disappeared. A dull stone was all that was left on the floor.

The Keeper was gone! Whatever trials and tribulations lay in store for all those opposing King Vantrax on Rhuaddan, they would now have to face them alone. For the moment at least. Tien looked over at the disconsolate face of Verastus.

“Well, my friend. It is you and I who must now rise to the challenge. Jake will need us all to be strong, we must try to minimise the disruption to our plans that his absence brings. Are you with me? We are on our own, it is an unexpected and unwanted development, but we are a force to be reckoned with, are we not?”

Verastus lifted his head slowly to speak. “Yes, wizard, I am with you. I have yet to repay my debt to the Keeper and I am sorry for my show of despair. Many years of captivity have eaten at my courage. It is like you appear to be I am afraid, frail and....”

“Chaar, yes,” interrupted Tien, but, like me Verastus, appearances can be deceptive!”

Verastus smiled at him and walked over to pick up his bag. He returned as Tien was packing the box of stones away into Ben’s.

“Tien, tell me truthfully, can Jake save Ben? He looked as close to death as any creature I have seen. Will he succeed? And, I do not believe I am saying this, more importantly, will he return? Can you see it?” he pleaded anxiously.

“I told you,” began the old wizard, “I cannot speak of events to come, though I yearn sometimes to warn of danger. I could not interfere with what was meant to be! Events such as these happen for a reason. My powers are limited, the spirits know this, I can only see that which I am allowed to see. The gift of foresight has deserted me now, I see nothing. I am as blind as you are to future events. All I have now to guide me, is faith. And I tell you, Verastus… The Keeper will return!”