The Descendants Book One: The Broken Scroll (8 page)

Brax was losing control.  The stranger turned back to Davin.

“Take it,” he gestured to the money, “I’ll have your meat then.  Fair trade.”

Davin shot a glance at Brax and grabbed the money, not hesitating for a second.  The stranger grabbed the bag of meat off of the counter and walked towards the door.  As he passed, Davin felt that same sensation that had come upon him earlier outside.  It was like he knew him from somewhere, but he had never met him before.  

Brax’ mouth hung open, but he was unable to find any words. 

Before the stranger stepped out the door Davin called out. 

“Wait.  Who are you?” 

The stranger stood still for a moment.  Davin waited hopefully.  The silence only made his curiosity grow. 

“Just a wanderer.  I am sure we will meet again soon
. 
Keep your eyes open,
mac piosa de se’an
.
”

Without another word to Brax, Davin tried to race after the man out of the door.  He wanted to speak with him more. 

But as Davin exited outside, he cursed under his breath.  The man had already disappeared into the night. 

This was most frustrating.  There were more questions to be answered.  What was that the wanderer had called him?  And what was the connection he felt?  Somehow he knew they would meet again. 

Chapter 5 The Army Arrives

As Davin walked home that night he couldn’t stop thinking about the stranger in Brax’s shop. 

Could he have just given me
his real name?
  The thought of seeing him again made him feel uneasy.  It wasn’t as though he thought the man was dangerous.  Davin was simply nervous about finally getting answers to what was happening to him.  Whoever this man was, Davin knew he had them. 

Realizing that he had forgotten all about his daydream in the forest, he sighed heavily.  It was too much to think about and he just wanted to sleep. 

His cabin rose in front of him as he reached the top of the hill.  The moon was full and bright tonight.  It cast a spotlight on the clearing as if it were the stage of one of the grand theaters.  That would have made Davin the actor about to come on stage to perform.  All eyes would be on him, expecting him to do something great.  The thought of this made him sick.  His stomach churned uncomfortably as he paced toward the doorway.  The thought of sleep made him feel better.  All he wanted was to fall onto his bed and quiet his thoughts.

Seconds later he plopped down into his bed and drifted into weary sleep.  At first, his dreams were silly.  Roland and Niahm were doing a jig around his cabin.  Soldiers were burying his body as he stared back at them.  This slowly shifted, however, and shortly he realized he was as aware of the events around him as if awake. 

There were bright, elegant buildings standing before him.  They weren’t modern, but old structures from long ago.  There was oddness and a grace in their design, abstract yet beautiful.  Every building Davin had ever seen consisted of sharp corners and a rectangular frame.  These were perfectly rounded off at every corner and bulged wildly like puffy clouds at various intervals, not conforming to the laws of gravity that dictated how normal structures stood.  Their walls were unfamiliar to him as well, not giving the appearance of brick, wood, or even stone.  They glowed off-white and looked so smooth and fine they could have been made from silk. 

There was some sort of familiarity about the location.  The light that radiated off everything calmed him.  It was almost holy. 
He realized what the light was.  It was the same pure light from the clearing in the Ancient Forest. 

He stepped further toward the light and saw that this place was more like a city.  The light and the buildings of all shapes and sizes went on for leagues in every direction.  Hard stone  walkways, with intricately carved swirling designs, stretched out like a spider web from one building to the next all the way out to the far reaches of the clearing.  Somehow the people who lived in this place even managed to create walkways and bridges in the air without the use of supports.  They too glowed softly. 

Candles and torches had no place here.  The holy light sat in the air, spread throughout the place in tiny balls like fireflies.  It illuminated all.  The holy light existed in everything and was everything.

Looking to the edge of the city, he saw thick trees lining it.  He knew where he was.  This was the clearing he had been to hundreds of times, only a thousand years earlier.  The familiarity of the holy light and thickness of the forest around the city gave it away.  Why was he here in his dreams though?  There had to be a purpose. 

Finally, Davin finished admiring the spectacle before him and saw them.  He was not alone.  Living human beings were moving amongst the structures.  They all traveled in small groups of five or six and never with any sort of haste.  The ones that weren’t walking around could be seen eating at great stone tables or meditating quietly.  None of them noticed him. 

Davin traveled further into the mysterious place, still wondering when someone would turn their attention to the stranger in their midst. 

He was stopped in his tracks at last when he spied another large group of these people in a sort of practice grounds.  He stood in disbelief of what he saw.  Some of them were commanding fire, light, water, and other elements from completely within their bodies.  Others fought with blades at a speed Davin could hardly comprehend. 

And yet another group was perhaps the most incredible of all.  Davin had to move closer to confirm what he saw.  Two members of the group stood face to face, each with a small vile of liquid in their hands.  One of them
would drink the liquid and collapse to the ground, unmoving.  The other would confirm his death to the others.  There was no emotional response, as if this was routine.  At once, the living one would place his hand on the chest of his friend.  Seconds passed as the holy light transferred to the dead man and he rose, completely healed and fully alive. 

That confirms it, this is just a dream, nothing more,
Davin thought. 

Several new figures began to traverse out from behind the building next to him.  The holy light radiated from them as well.  Robs covered their feet.  This gave the illusion that they were floating.  For all Davin knew, they could have been. 

One of the women turned and saw him.  Davin suddenly grew afraid.  This was the first person to pay him any mind.  With their powers, he feared what she might do to him.  He slid behind the closest building, hoping she wouldn’t come to investigate. 

The texture of the building was pillow-like.  It seemed to mold to his touch, unlike anything he’d ever experienced. 

Davin tensed as the woman came around the corner to find him. 

“Davin,” she called.  His words caught in his throat.  He couldn’t answer.

She continued, “Do not be afraid, Davin.  I am glad you came.  Though, I know you are troubled.  Why did you hide from me,
Son of Old
?”

“You can see me?” 

“Yes,” she confirmed, without hesitation. 

Davin’s eyes widened with realization.  She was the one who called to him in his dreams.  She also spoke the phrase that the Wanderer had said
, except he had understood it this time.  Davin found his voice.

“Why have you been talking to me in my sleep?” he blurted out.

“I have been trying to tell you what you are, but you have pushed me away.”

“How can that be?” Davin asked confused, “How can I control what happens in my dreams?”

She smiled in such a gentle way that it disarmed him.  “You can.  That is why you haven’t been here before now.  Last night, when you met that man, you wanted to know more about your ancestry.  Thus, you allowed me back into your mind.  Now you are here.”

Davin stared at her.  She was the first one of these people he’d observed closely.  He noticed she was very beautiful.  Blonde curls of hair cascaded off her head like waterfalls billowing downward.  Her eyes were a deep, dark blue and her skin flawless. 

“So then what am I?” 

She looked deep into his eyes.  “You are one of very few left in this world.  You are a Descendent of a race of people who existed in the beginning of time.  They were called Ancients.  This forest was their home.  As you can see, it was beautiful once.”

“Why am I just hearing about this now?  Why didn’t my parents tell me sooner?” Davin queried.

She did not hesitate.  It was like she had been waiting to say this for a long time.  Her words flowed out of her with the power and smoothness of a polished sword.  She had been waiting for him and no one else. 

“One can only know when they are at the age of Awakening.  It is the age of seventeen.  The age you just became.  Your powers have come forth have they not?”

“Yes,” Davin nodded, not wanting to interrupt.  Then he thought of his parents and became anxious. 

“So then do you know what happened to my parents?  Were they Descendants too?”

She shook
her head sadly.  “Of course, but I can tell you no more than that. I am only the lingering soul of a woman that existed long ago.  I know only enough to tell you who you are and very little else.  I am sorry.”

“What does that mean exactly?” 

She again didn’t hesitate to answer.  “Our people discovered a way to become eternal, but not in a complete sense, only to convey messages to future descendants.  Very few could actually achieve this power.  It took great discipline and much solitude.  We who did this gave up a large portion of our lives to obtain it.  My knowledge is limited to these few things I am telling you.” 

Davin frowned.  He hoped she would be more informative.  His temper flared shortly, and he did his best to quell it.  Shouldn’t she have infinite knowledge if she has existed all this time?  When he said nothing, she continued.  This time it was with more urgency. 

“You must know that you have power beyond any normal man.  You will need to develop your gifts and become strong.  There are not many of you left.  Your world will need you before the end.”

Davin grunted.  This was ridiculous.  There was no way he was going to get
involved in something like a conflict in the land.

“What end?  What exactly is happening here?” Davin exclaimed. 

“Things are set in motion in your world right now that will endanger the Descendants that are left.  There are those who have the power to oppose your kind.  If these events are not stopped, the entire world could be in danger.”

Davin couldn’t deny the seriousness of this statement, but he still had trouble believing it.  It did sound quite outrageous.  He shook his head in defiance. 

“Why do I have to do anything?  Didn’t you say that there are others like me?  Let them handle it.”  He taunted her purposefully. 

For the first time she looked sad.  “No one can force you to do anything, Davin.  However, I feel that you will find yourself in the culmination of these events one way or another.”

“That sounds like the same thing to me.  How can I decide for myself if it is inevitable?”

“You will have a choice; there is no doubt of that.”  She paused, half turning to see the other Ancients.  “I must go.  Goodbye, Davin, Son of Old.” 

“Wait!  Can’t you tell me what these events are?  You must know.”

She shook her head again in a slow fluid motion.  “I can merely sense the danger to our people.  Nothing more.  Goodbye.” 

She turned and slowly made her way back to where the others.  Davin stood speechless.  He had more questions but knew she would be no more help. 

As he watched her rejoin the other Ancients, the scene dissolved and he awoke in his cabin. 

It was still dark.  The moonlight, presently, danced on the walls as it shone through the trees outside.  This made Davin feel like he was still dreaming, though he knew he wasn’t now. 

He cursed to himself and slammed his fist down on the edge of the bed, grimacing as it started to ache. 

He was wide awake now.  Thinking of nothing else to do he got up and walked outside.  He stomped a few feet away from his cabin and folded onto his knees in the grass.

”I don’t want this!” he shouted into the night.  The echo of his voiced reverberated into the hills beyond.  He sat on the grass and let his mind sort itself out. 

So he was an Ancient, or at least the Descendant of one. 

What about my parents? He thought.  Surely they had the same abilities, which would have improved their ch
ances of surviving.

This dream woman seemed to think that there was something stirring in this world that would require him to act.  If there was something threatening the existence of his kind or the world, what was he going to do about it?

He finally decided that he would wait it out.  It was like the woman had said about his future.  If she was right, then his fate would find him soon enough.