The Awakening: Artifact of Creation, Page 2

“What’s wrong laddy?” His grandfather asked. His joints cracked and creaked as he sat beside Asher. Asher shrugged in response, he was lost in thought.

  Below the field that they tended to, Asher could hear the sound of blacksmiths clinking metal amid the buzz of conversations that took place from the people in his town. He watched farmers tend to their livestock, taking special care for them in order to sustain the village. Asher loved the town he grew up in but he no longer wanted the simple life that his small town offered. Often times he would spend his wishing he could find a more meaningful purpose for his life. He could not tell where the need to leave the comforts and security of home originated. Perhaps it was the stories his mother would tell about the distant lands she and his father had seen while they served together in the Federation Wars. Or perhaps it was the tale his grandfather recounted about searching out an ancient artifact that was a fabled myth, told as stories meant for amusement by travelers that would pass through his small town. Asher loved the stories when he was younger, but as the years of his childhood left and he matured into a young adult, he doubted the validity of his grandfather’s stories. Asher was drawn to the realism surrounding the stories his mother told.

  Asher sighed and looked to the sky as he often did, and watched scuffs of clouds float by. The white of the clouds were intermixed with hues of oranges and purples, the colors were reflections from the setting sun in the late afternoon. On the horizon, Asher could see the glistening waters of the ocean. It reminded him of how vast the world was, it only furthered his desire to search out a new life for himself.

  “I suppose I don’t feel like I belong here.” Asher finally said after a few moments of silence had passed. “I want my life to have more meaning then just...” He trailed off feeling ashamed for what he was about to say.

  “Then what laddy?” His grandfather asked. “You can tell me it’s alright.” He rested his callused hand on Asher’s shoulder with a smile of reassurance. Asher let his gaze fall.

  “I want something more meaningful in my life then just clearing trees and planting seeds.” He turned to his grandfather. “Perhaps I should enlist in the Federation Wars. I could be a pilot on a Federation Airship like my father was.”

  His grandfather sighed. “Asher we each have our place in the world. Those soldiers would not be able to fight in battle without the food we provide for them. Your place is here in Shady Vale working beside me and helping your mother.”

  “But that’s not fair. Father, mother and even you had a life beyond the Vale. How can you expect anything different from me?” Asher saw that his words had an effect on his grandfather. His grandfather now seemed lost in thought as he considered the weight of Asher’s words. “Grandfather you left the Vale to seek out the artifact. You followed ‘him’ ... the one you called Gaphii’el .... because he asked you too. You know I could not do anything less than what you or my father have done. Or were the tales you told, simply bed time stories for my sister and I?”

  Asher’s words were heated, and to his grandfather, they felt full of accusation. His grandfather left the stump of wood he sat at and paced in front of Asher, trying to decide what words of wisdom he could offer his grandson. “Asher, those stories I told you and your sister are true. Asher you must understand, I did not seek out the artifact because I felt some desire to explore a new life, I left because I was convinced of the growing evil that Gaphii’el had spoke to me about. Your father and mother had no desire to be soldiers either, they were asked to. Your father and mother, even myself, did not go looking for danger, we went because we did not have a choice.” Asher looked at his grandfather, and then let his head drop to his arms that were folded about his knees. He saw little point in arguing with his grandfather, his words did not change who he was or what he felt.

  Just then, a terrible roaring sound echoed above them in the sky. Asher and his grandfather looked to the source of the sound. A great airship flew overhead. Its outline was a massive silhouette of dark metal, it was large enough to block out the light of the sun, it cast a shadow upon all of Shady Vale. Wind funneled from its thrusters as it made a gradual descent and rested upon the outskirts of the Vale. Men and women from the town, abandoned their chores to investigate the airship after it landed.

  The cargo door of the airship opened and armed men, dressed in grey armor, marched out of the ship. The soldiers quickly circled about the ship and held their weapons pointed at the town’s people. Orders were shouted for the people to keep their distance. Among the soldiers was a masked man with a long trailing cape. The masked man descended from the airship, cape billowing in the wind.

  Asher felt his grandfather’s hand pull him down. The two ducked behind the tree stump they had been sitting on. “Who are they?” Asher whispered to his grandfather. His grandfather held a finger to his lips, an indication for Asher to remain silent. They peered over the stump and watched the soldiers form a perimeter around the airship.

  The masked man studied the crowd of people. “There is a man who lives among you, who has an ancient artifact in his possession, where is he?” The masked man demanded. “Bring him forward and you will not be harmed.”

  Asher watched the people cower and tremble before the soldiers. They were simple farmers and most had never been in life threatening situations before. The masked man gave a hand signal to one of his soldiers and the soldier grabbed the nearest woman by the hair and drug her screaming from the crowd. The soldier threw her at the feet of the masked man. The masked man lifted her up by the neck. The woman struggled to break free and gasped for air. “The artifact now! Or she will struggle for her every last breath until she dies.” The masked man demanded.

  There were fits of screams and sobbing from the women in the village. Three more people were drug from the crowd. A woman, a small girl and an elderly man.

  “They have my mother and sister. We can’t just sit here and watch!” Asher said and almost sprung up from his hiding place before his grandfather pulled him down once more.

  “There is nothing we can do.” His grandfather lectured. Asher returned to watching the caped man interrogate the other three. He watched with anger growing in his chest, as his mother and sister were struck multiple times by one of the soldiers as they were interrogated. The beating was so brutal, that both his mother and sister collapsed to the ground, sobbing for mercy. The soldiers then started beating on the elderly man. He struggled to stand straight but the soldiers brutal blows were too much for him to bare. Finally, the elderly man caved in and admitted that he knew something of value.

  He pointed a finger in the direction of Asher and his grandfather. “There over the hill at the edge of the forest. There is a man who has what you seek. Please...leave us be...”

  The masked man turned quickly toward the direction of Asher and his grandfather. He shouted orders to his soldiers. “Over there! Find them!”

  “Asher, they found us. Here take this quickly.” He handed Asher the silver necklace. Asher took the necklace in his hand and stared at the ornament that hung from the chain. It was a sphere laced in a delicate design of metal workings. Inside the sphere, clouds of deep red auras whirred about as if it were a living creature. Asher was mesmerized by the artifact.

  “Asher! This is the artifact from my stories. Do not let anyone have it. Take it to the Temple Anin’Nar. Hurry!” He pushed Asher away, urging him to leave quickly.

  Asher hesitated. “But I can’t just leave you here.” He watched his grandfather step out from his hiding place. The guards were close. “You will die.”

  His grandfather turned and smiled. “I have lived a full life Asher. That artifact is worth more than all of our lives. Now go!”

  Asher ran to his horse at the far end of the field. He quickly untied the horse and hopped on. Behind him he could hear shouts from the soldiers. With his feet in the stirrups and hands on the reins, he took off at break-neck speed toward the forest. He raced across the field of yellow grass which lined the forest’s edge
.

  Asher quickly risked a glance behind him. He saw one of the soldiers end his grandfather’s life, with a plunge of a blade through his grandfather’s belly, his grandfather fell to the earth, dying from the loss of blood. The tears began to stream down Asher’s face, his heart sunk with a sickening feeling, still he continued fast through the field and into the forest.

  After they ended his grandfather’s life, the soldiers took chase after Asher. Technology and speed were on their side as they rode speeders, vehicles developed by the Federation to navigate treacherous terrain. Asher could hear the whine of the speeder engines behind him. Another quick look behind, revealed that the soldiers had cleared a considerable distance between them and Asher, they were nearing the edge of the forest. The gap between them narrowed quickly.

  Asher’s horse continued at a brisk speed, Asher whipped hard on the reins determined to put distance between him and the soldiers. He continued swiftly through the forest, branches and trees were just a blur in his vision. He ducked beneath limbs of trees, careful to avoid them, then a branch appeared in front of his face. A sharp pain radiated across his forehead, blood trickled into his eyes, and his vision blurred and then there was blackness.

  Chapter 2

  Asher awoke to faint rays of sunlight which shimmered and shifted through the trees of the forest. The sound of birds filled the air with life and vitality. Wearily he glanced about, waiting for the fogginess of sleep to disperse, so that he might think clearly. In the faintness of the morning, he realized his horse was nowhere to be found. Hurriedly he glanced about, searching for some sign of the whereabouts of his horse. All he saw around him was bushes, ferns and massive trunks of redwood trees interspersed with pine. Panic festered inside of him. In the saddle bags that were strapped to the horse, was a few days rations of food, skins of water, and hunting supplies. Without them his chances of survival would diminish greatly.

  He tried to recall memories of the previous night. He remembered his flight through the forest, with a handful of soldiers closing in on him, there speeders clearly had advantages over his horse. Asher had been fortunate enough to out whit the soldiers, his familiarity of the forest gave him a distinct edge. After he escaped the soldiers, his mind suddenly went blank. The next thing he knew, he awoke on the forest floor.

  An aching feeling developed on the top of his skull, it radiated with pain. He placed his hand on his head and felt a lump, a bruise had formed that was tender to the touch. Then he remembered. During his escape he was hit in the head by a branch. He remembered it wasn’t a branch from a tree, rather someone had swung the branch deliberately to knock him from his horse. He did not see any distinguishing features of the person who hit him, other than it was a girl.

  He sat down on the ground to think more. His fingers traced the outline of the necklace his grandfather had given him just before his grandfather was killed. He brought the pendant out of his tunic and fumbled the ancient relic between his fingers. He wondered why the relic was so important to the caped man that he killed his grandfather over it and evaded his home. As he pondered, he watched a mysterious glow inside of the glass sphere. It whirred about with a red aura intermixed with black clouds. It reminded him of the great storms that would surge upon the western seas. He heard stories from travelers about the destructive power of these storms. The storms would begin as spiraling mists and then crash upon the shore line destroying everything in its wake. Perhaps, if the tiny storm inside the relic were allowed to escape, it would destroy those who held it. It was a thought Asher quickly dismissed. In any case, Asher could only speculate on the importance of the relic, obviously it was something of great power. A power his grandfather never mentioned to him.

  Asher’s hypnotic stare was interrupted by the sound of cracking sticks behind him. Quickly he turned about in the direction of the sound. Behind him, on a small mound of dirt covered by ferns, a small creature stared back at him with wide curious eyes. The creature was a mere three meters in height and had a frail frame. Its fingers were crooked and bent. Its knees were awkward and knobby, which protruded out of a grey tunic that was covered with dirt and grime. The creature’s facial features were triangular, with a droopy nose and long pointy ears. Asher could not help but laugh to himself at the pathetic looking creature.

  Asher smiled and patted the ground beside him, as an indication to the creature that he was a friend, and that he meant no harm. “Hey there, are you lost?” Asher asked the creature. The creature cowered behind the ferns. After a moment, the creature timidly poked its head into view. “It’s ok, I won’t hurt you.”

  The creature decided it was safe to proceed and it pensively hobbled towards Asher. Its hands were tucked under its chin as if it were afraid to touch anything else in the forest. The creature pointed a long finger at the necklace around Asher’s neck.

  “Pretty...pretty thing. Makes Alby happy.” The creature let a grin cross its face.

  Asher chuckled to himself and turned to sit ‘Indian style’ in front of the creature. “You like it? It was a gift from my grandfather. Do you want to hold it?”

  The creature bobbed its head up and down rapidly, overly excited to hold the necklace.

  “My grandfather says it’s an ancient relic. Will you be careful with it?”

  The creature bobbed its head once more. Asher handed the creature the necklace. The creature cuddled the necklace in its small hands and gazed upon it longingly.

  “Your name is Alby? I am Asher. You must be a forest-elf. I have heard stories about your people.” Alby looked up from the necklace and a snicker crossed its face.

  “Yes Alby is forest-elf, last of my kind. Mistress protects Alby. Mistress will be very happy with this pretty thing. Alby thanks Asher for pretty necklace.” Then in a whir, the forest-elf spun on its heels and vanished behind the small mound of ferns.

  “Hey wait,” Asher shouted after the elf. “That’s not yours. Give it back!”

  Asher stumbled to his feet to give chase. He watched the forest-elf poke its head out from under bushes and around tree trunks. The little forest-elf ran circles around Asher, as it dashed about on all four legs. Then, Asher realized the creature was playing games and had taken the same series of turns. He decided to simply wait for the elf to circle back through the same route. Finally, he cornered the elf behind the trunk of a massive redwood tree.

  “Got you now, you little thief,” Asher said and jumped around the tree. To his surprise, he did not find the elf as he had expected, instead, he was staring down the blade of a long knife. Asher hesitated. The hairs on his neck prickled and stood on edge. A thought crossed his mind that he had been caught by one of the soldiers from the previous night. He traced the tip of the blade to the face of a girl. Asher let out a sigh of relief that it wasn’t a soldier from the previous night. She stepped forward and dug the tip of the knife into Asher’s chest drawing a prick of blood. The forest-elf emerged on her shoulder, handing her the necklace.

  “Get back now, don’t make this any harder,” the girl said, jabbing a little harder with the knife. Asher moved away slowly, careful not to stumble over any rocks.

  “Who are you?” She asked.

  “Miss… if you will put the knife down...I will explain.”

  His words were interrupted when she brought the blade higher, this time under his chin. “Okay fine. My name is Asher. That necklace was a gift from my grandfather, I need it back.”

  The girl looked at him curiously. She pulled back strands of dark brown hair which had fallen in a tangled mess in front of her eyes. Asher continued to stay calm, careful to not make any sudden movements. He watched the girl carefully, as she circled about him with the blade pointed at his neck.

  She was dressed in forest-green traveling leathers and wore knee high boots. A bow and a quiver of arrows was strapped to her back, along with a large traveling pack. Clearly she was accustomed to the forest and accustomed to robbery.

  “You don’t look like anything special.
” She said and circled back in front of him. “Why were you being chased last night?”

  Asher didn’t quite know how to respond. “They are after that necklace your little thief of a friend stole from me. They are dangerous men who will kill anyone with that necklace.”

  The girl sheathed the blade and took the necklace in her hand that Alby had handed to her. “The elf is not a thief; he is my friend.”

  “Oh you both are thieves then. And you both happen to be friends?” Asher asked sarcastically. “How convenient.”