Author: Andrew Q. Gordon
Category: LGBT
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“Avenge me, brothers!” she hissed before a puff of smoke marked her end.
Two angry roars warned Farrell just before new attacks struck his shields. These were strong enough that he felt the power drain on his stones. Adding more energy to his defenses, he fired red ribbons at his enemies.
The attack wrapped itself around the domes, and they burrowed themselves into the shields. Hro and Kuso each discharged yellow energy into the smoky substance of their protection. The ribbons started to fume and soon burned away. He tossed a pair of darts at the two, but they failed as well. The small holes they burned in the shields closed before Farrell could create a larger breach.
The two sides traded blows for a few minutes. Farrell seemed to have the upper hand, but his efforts fell maddeningly short every time. His opponents didn’t threaten his shield directly, but they were a drain. Twice Farrell added more energy to make sure they didn’t fail during a critical stage.
Given time he felt confident he could find a weakness, but he didn’t have access to his source. More, he couldn’t keep fighting them forever. Though he couldn’t tell the source of their power, Hro and Kuso didn’t show signs they were running out.
A standoff didn’t serve him well. His original plan had been to close the Door, fly away, and open a new one in the air. That plan required time to not only open it, but to take it down properly. If Hro and Kuso followed him, they might take control before it closed. Even a small possibility of that was unacceptable.
An alternative would be to open a Door under the shield, but he would need to expand it a bit to have room. That required he turn it off to make any changes. Given the strength of his enemy’s attack, he didn’t think he could make the change and defend himself.
Farrell reached into his pocket for more weapons, and something bumped his hand again. This time he clutched the object and brought it out. Opening his fingers, he nearly closed them again when he saw what he held.
“Impossible,” he whispered. How did the stone in the Shaman’s torque end up in his pocket?
The red stone radiated power. It wasn’t a source, but it contained energy on that scale.
“A gift,” Basje’s voice whispered in his mind. “It is the heart of my people’s power.”
Now he had the power he needed. He wrapped his fingers around the object and considered his next move.
“They must not take your thoughts, Favored One,” Basje said.
Farrell looked at the stone. “How…?”
“I transferred my spirit to the stone.”
“You transferred…. Why?”
“A Bendari must never fight alone. As the Favored One, you were always one of us.”
“You sacrificed yourself so I wouldn’t fight alone?”
“No, child.” Farrell ignored a new assault on his shields. “I pulled the demon into my body and then sent my spirit into the stone. When my body died, so too did Toha.”
Now he knew how to kill the demons if he could not get away. “Can I kill two that way?”
“You cannot. Your body can only hold one.”
Hro and Kuso stopped their attack and backed away. The Funja who had scurried off had returned, and the two walked into the swirling mass of black bodies. Rather than attack the Funja again, Hro and Kuso absorbed the smaller creatures into themselves. With each new Funja consumed, the pair grew taller and thicker.
Farrell wondered if he could take down and expand the regenerating shield before they noticed. One of them stretched out his arm and a new attack struck Farrell’s defenses. It didn’t stress his shield, but it was much stronger.
“It is doubtful you can survive taking down your shield,” Basje said. “Nor should you expect it will survive long enough to take down your Door. Without your attention, it will fail before you finish closing it.”
“That doesn’t leave me many options. I couldn’t defeat them before they started eating every Funja in sight.”
“Use the gift I left you.”
“How?” Even with more power, none of his spells would succeed.
“You haven’t tried everything. There is more power in the stone than you realize.”
“How does that help me? I don’t need power, I need something to punch a hole in their defense.”
“If you use all the energy in the stone as well as my spirit, it will be enough.”
“That won’t work.” Even if he could contain that much power, trying to release it at one time would kill him. “The energy would dissipate once I died.”
“It will not. I will guide it.”
“You’ll guide it?”
“I am one with the energy,” Basje said. “Our life forces will amplify the power we project manyfold.”
Realizing his options grew fewer as Hro and Kuso got larger, he considered the choices left to him. Staying meant certain death. He’d run out of energy even with the stone. Before he could open a Door home, he needed to defeat Hro and Kuso. Thus far he hadn’t found a way to do that.
He also couldn’t let them capture him. Even if he were dead, they might get the answers from his mind. Helping them reach his world was far worse than dying. Doing what Basje suggested would succeed even if it didn’t work.
“That is correct, Favored One. Whether we kill them or not, they will not get the information they need to leave.”
Farrell swallowed hard. He’d planned to use the weapon at Gharaha and expected it to overwhelm his shields. But dying on a barren world somewhere he’d never known existed? Alone? That wasn’t how he expected to meet his end.
“You are not alone, Favored One.”
“Perhaps not, but I didn’t get to say goodbye.”
“Your messages will make it to them.”
That wasn’t good enough, but it would have to do. He set the stone down carefully, as if he’d damage Basje’s spirit if he dropped it too hard. The thought of Geena dealing with another loss hurt him even more than his own pain. And he was leaving Miceral to deal with it alone. But even for them he couldn’t risk the destruction of everything and everyone.
It took an effort to push their faces one by one from his thoughts. He needed full concentration to do what Basje suggested. If he was going to die here, he meant to take those who prevented him from going home.
“We will be successful, child. I am here to help you.” Basje’s voice soothed some of his anxiety. “But we must do it now, before they get too strong.”
“Agreed.”
Farrell summoned every storage vessel from his endless pocket and emptied them into the stone. Next, he sucked the energy from every magical item he’d brought with him. When there was nothing left, he took a deep breath and steadied himself.
Kuso and Hro had already doubled in size, and there was still a sea of Funja left to consume. It was time.
Having worked with a Source almost his entire life, he could control the vast amount of power in the stone. He felt the Shaman at the edge of his perception. Basje’s presence permeated the energy Farrell pulled into himself. Together he and Basje kept the growing torrent under control until there was no more to gather.
“To release the full power, you must let go of your life first,” Basje said. “That will create a violent discharge, which my spirit will direct and amplify.”
“I understand.” Farrell closed his eyes, not that it would help.
A wizard learned to locate and control his life force as a novice. If he didn’t know what it was, he might release it by accident while spell-casting. Instead of shielding his core, this time he needed to release it.
“When you are ready.” The gentle prodding had a sense of urgency.
Farrell opened his eyes to make sure Hro and Kuso were still nearby. They’d stopped gorging themselves on demons. They screamed in defiant rage and attacked his shields. The energy buckled but redistributed itself to shore up the weak spots. It proved more than equal to the test.
Farrell smiled as he saw a look of recognition in their faces. At least h
e thought that was what he saw. The pair screamed again as he released his hold on the violent energy inside him.
“Goodbye, Ral. I love you,” he whispered.
He felt the rush of power exploding from his body as his consciousness left him. A moment of white light so pure and intense it would have blinded a living person was the last thing he saw. Before his consciousness left for the Six only knew where, he heard the death wails of Kuso and Hro. If he’d still had a body, he would have smiled.
Chapter 10
THE LIGHT faded and blackness surrounded Farrell.
“Release him now!” Kel sounded like he stood inches from Farrell.
How could he hear anything? He’d released his life force and discharged the energy. Hro and Kuso screamed as they died. Had his spirit returned to Bendar?
“If you do not release him from whatever hold he is under, I will shatter the minds of every Bendari in this tent!” Nerti said.
He’d heard her mad before, but Nerti never threatened to kill indiscriminately. And who were they demanding be released?
“Ancient One, Nerti, I can’t release the Favored One,” Esward said. “Only the Shaman and She Who Guides have that power.”
“Then tell them to let him go,” Nerti said. “If not, I will free him and they will not survive.”
“Great Nerti, that is beyond my ability,” Esward said. “But you must not interfere or you will hurt the Favored One. You have my word he is not harmed.”
Of course he wasn’t in danger anymore; he was dead. Esward must not know he and the Shaman had died.
“We are not dead, Favored One,” Basje said. “Open your eyes and see.”
Farrell did as instructed and blinked at the brightness. Cracking his eyelids open, he looked around. He was still inside the Shaman’s yurt. It had been like what happened on the Seafoam Rose; a dream so real he couldn’t tell the difference.
“Your word is worthless after this foul deception!”
“I’m fine, Nerti.” Farrell sat up slowly to keep the world from spinning. He scanned his body and found traces of something. “They drugged me, but I’m free of that now.”
“By the Six!” Kel’s staff pulsed and a shield surrounded him, Farrell, Flemin, and Nerti.
“You can relax, Grandfather. I’m well.”
Kel shook his head and glared over Farrell’s head. “Those who I thought were friends assaulted you.”
“We are still your friends, Ancient One,” Basje said. “More now than ever.”
Farrell twisted to his right. The Shaman sat cross-legged in the middle of a semicircle of other shamans. He smiled and Basje winked.
“We’ve been here the whole time.” Farrell stretched.
“Correct. She Who Guides and I were testing you. It pleases me that you passed and are now a Bendari.”
“So that part of my dream was true? But I died… in my dream… I should be dead.”
“Your consciousness was in my mind,” Basje said. “It did not suit our purpose to let you die.”
His muscles protested when he stretched. “I feel like I’ve been through a sparring session without having warmed up first.”
“My apologies. The drug needed to be powerful to work.” Basje sounded contrite. “Otherwise we risked harming you with the attempt.”
“Risked harming him?” Kel’s staff pulsed again. “We trusted you and you drugged him. Then you violated his mind and held him prisoner. That is the very definition of harm!”
“It was necessary.” Farrell didn’t recognize the voice, but he suspected he knew the speaker. The tent flap moved aside and three snow panthers padded into the yurt. Two stayed at the entrance as one approached the group. “The Bendari would not follow him unless he passed.”
Farrell nodded toward the feline. “She Who Guides.”
“I am she,” she said and moved to face Nerti. “Honored servant of the Holy Mother, forgive our deception, but we needed to be sure.”
“How dare you enter the mind of the Champion while he is under my protection, Tojas?” Nerti’s posture should have scared the snow panther, but she held her ground. “That I carry him should be proof enough the Six have touched him.”
“That the Six favor him was never in doubt. That alone does not mean the Bendari would follow him.” She inclined her head in a show of respect. “Trust the Six approved of our actions.”
“Do you expect us to believe the Six gave you permission to attack Their Champion?” Kel’s anger still burned hot. “I must have lost all reason to think bringing him here was wise.”
She ignored Kel and moved until she stood across from Farrell just outside the shield. He stared into her eyes and opened himself. There was nothing she didn’t know already. Her touch reminded him of Nerti or Rothdin, though it lacked the ancient feel of his father or Nerti.
“Accept my apologies, Champion.” She bowed. “Only through surprise could we test you.”
“Test him? You poisoned him!” Kel said. When Farrell looked past his grandfather, he saw the same anger in Nerti and Flemin.
“Grandfather, I’m not hurt.”
“Be silent.” Kel kept his gaze on the Shaman. “Your test threatened everything I spent three thousand years trying to achieve. Others have made sacrifices to bring Farrell to where he is today. You had no right.”
Basje nodded to Kel and moved to stand next to Tojas. “In the time when the world was young, the first Bendari came to the Endless Snows. Where others saw only cold and ice, they saw beauty and life. They asked Honorus not to let others come and defile the splendor He had created. My ancestors pledged to be stewards of the land if the Sky Father would grant their prayers.
“Honorus appeared. It pleased Him that some saw the majesty and brilliance the Seven had created. He could not, however, give them what they desired. The Seven together had created the Endless Snows and no one of Them could lay claim.
“The shaman of the clan believed Honorus denied their prayer because they hadn’t proven their worth. He left the clan alone to find a way to convince the Holy Father to let the Bendari live here and be one with the snow.
“After several days, he came upon a young snow panther. She was injured and hungry. The shaman had little food left and no hope to easily find more, but he gave her all he had. When she had eaten, he used his power to melt snow so she could drink. When she shivered, he shared his cloak to keep her warm. They spent the night huddled together. The shaman planned to return home in the morning or die in the attempt.
“He awoke alone. There were no signs to show where she went, but he found several freshly caught snow hares in a pile by his pack. He skinned them for their fur, cleaned them, and created a fire to smoke them for his journey home.”
Kel waved his hand and snorted. “This is all very touching, but what does it have to do with your poisoning Farrell?”
Basje reached out his thick hand and rubbed Tojas’s neck. “The next morning, the shaman prepared to leave. As he gathered his things, the panther returned and waited for him to get ready. When he tried to head north, she blocked his path and nudged him west. He knew where he’d left his clan, but she insisted he not go that way. Finally he did as she wanted. For three days he followed her, and on the morning of the fourth, he found his clan. They had traveled west to avoid a large storm.
“The shaman looked down, and the panther met his gaze. ‘Honorus and Lenore have convinced Their Siblings to allow you and your people to live here,’ she said. ‘But you must never hold any of the Seven above the Others. I will remain with you to guide your people and to make sure you always remember your promise.’ She Who Guides has led the clans ever since.”
“Why do you waste our time?” Nerti asked. “Do you think I don’t know this?”
“The story of the Bendari is entwined with why we tested the Favored One,” Tojas said. “When the war between the Seven began, both sides called upon the clans. My predecessor reminded our people we agreed to never hold any of the Seven above
another. We could not remain if we broke that oath.
“When the war ended, Neldin renounced the Bendari as unfaithful. He would have forced us to leave the Endless Snows had the Six not intervened. They renounced us as well to dissolve our original pledge. We sought to swear allegiance to the Six but Lenore stopped us. Though the Six understood why we could not answer Their call, it was not dismissed. If Neldin should return, They would send us Their Champion. We would know this Champion because they would be as Bendari in their heart as one born to the snow. When the Champion arrived, we needed to pledge our loyalty or risk being driven from our home.”
“The Deceiver has tried before to earn our trust, but the one He sent never belonged to our people,” Basje said. “Before we could accept Farrell as that Champion, we needed to be certain he was one of us.”
“He rode with me to Bendar in the company of Lenore’s servant,” Kel said. “What more proof did you need?”
“As we said, he needed to be one of us without our teaching him.”
Farrell stood to put an end to the tension. When he reached the shield, he turned around. “Please lower the shield, Grandfather.”
Kel showed no inclination to comply, so Farrell remained still. Finally Kel grunted and banished the barrier. “This changes nothing.”
“Thank you.” He nodded to Kel but knew it wouldn’t soften the old man’s mood. Turning back to Basje and Tojas, he bowed. “Thank you, both. This wasn’t a test. It was a lesson I needed to learn before I could face my destiny.”
A warm smile broke the Shaman’s stoic expression. He grabbed Farrell’s shoulders and squeezed. “Yes, Favored One. We are glad you recognized the truth.”
“Lesson?” Kel looked to Flemin. “Truth? They had no right to do what they did.”
Basje let go, and Farrell turned around. “They did not, but it was nevertheless for my benefit.”
The angry moment passed, and Farrell had time to scan the room. Jafaga smiled from the pack of shamans. “Welcome home, Favored One.”