The Awakening (The Stones of Revenge) (15 page)

He thought of Gavin and his views on life, Lord Malchus and his manipulations, Mordecai leaving unexpectedly, and Godfrey not being on this journey with him. Nothing really made him angry just irritated. In the midst of this realization the flame died yet again. Frustration was beginning to set in, and Landon relit the candle. He tried to focus on his frustration allowing his anger to burn inside him. He continued to think about everything about his life which really upset him. Lost in his thoughts, Landon realized that there was one thing about his life that bothered him more than anything else: his parents not being there. This thought kindled his resentment and brought the worst emotions to the surface. He tried to hold that thought. He thought of all the events in his life that they had missed. They had not experienced his first words, his first steps, the day he learned to ride a horse, or plant his first field. He thought of all the nights they had missed singing him to sleep or telling him bedtime stories. All of the years of his life that they had missed burned a fury inside of him. He became enraged.

Then, he thought of everything he missed with them, and his heart sank. It was true that they had missed everything, but so did he. His anger quickly turned into a deep sorrow. Immediately, he began to weep. Massive tears poured from his eyes. Emotions flowed through him he never knew he felt. He sat there crying for what seemed like hours. Eyes shut and wet cheeks he replayed in his mind what his life could have been. Finally, he regained some composure and opened his eyes. To his surprise he saw that the candle was still burning. He knew it had been much longer than a minute, yet the flame still stood. That was the key! It wasn’t anger or fear. He needed to channel his grief from missing his parents.

Abruptly, the flame went out again. Landon had lost his feeling of sadness. His sudden excitement at how to use his ring had caused the flame to extinguish. Emotions were too fickle. He needed something more tangible than a feeling to use this power. If only there was an image he could hold in his mind, he wouldn’t be so dependent on them. The irony of the situation made him laugh. His father somehow knew of the ring’s power and wanted to help him find it, but it was only through his father’s absence that he did so.

He brushed the thought away and tried once again to focus his energy on the candle. Once more he lit the flame and began to conjure up images of his past. He thought of the farm. He thought of being a child. He even tried to picture what his parents looked like. He dug deep into his memories to evoke every ounce of sorrow he had in his body to the surface. But it was all to no avail. He could not keep the candle lit. He tried once more, and again he failed as soon as his thoughts began to wander. A third time he lit the candle, but still he could not keep the fire burning for longer than a few minutes.

He thought perhaps the proximity of the ring to the object might aid him. So, he lit the candle trying to test his hypothesis. He held his hand over the flame, palm down and hand flat. He closed his eyes and thought again of everything his parents had not been around for. Slowly, his emotions floated to the surface. He continued to pull from his mind as many images as he could and with each image Landon felt more and more wretched. However, the sorrow he had once felt did not feel so heavy. It was as though his tears from earlier had emptied his soul of sadness, and he could no longer feel it. He decided to give up for the night. He knew the direction his path lay, but how to walk it, he was still uncertain. He would leave those answers for the next day.

Landon blew out the candle and headed to his and Gavin’s room for the night. As he opened the door, his eyes had already adjusted to the dark, and he could see Gavin still lying on his bed. He was lying on his stomach. Even in his state he had still managed to roll over.
At least he isn’t dead
, Landon thought. He wondered if that was still a good thing now that he knew of Gavin’s real mission. He proceeded to his bed where he slung off his belt, dropped his sword to the ground, and collapsed onto the bed. He would leave his training for tomorrow.

Chapter
Fifteen

The Tarn of Reflection

Landon awoke from a restless sleep. As he sat up, his mind was still foggy from all of the nightmares and memories that had consumed him. He shook his head clear and glanced at Gavin. He was still lying in the same position. Landon moved over to him and checked his vitals. He was still breathing and the cut on the back of his head had clotted. But Gavin continued to lie unconscious. Landon left him to his rest.

As he entered the main chamber he saw Aldous already sitting in his chair sipping some liquid and studying a long scroll. Steam rose from the cup in his hand. Landon watched as Aldous ran his index finger along some lines of writing, jumped down a few pages, ran his finger down a few more, then took a sip from his drink. He glanced up from his reading.

“Good morning, young man. I trust your exercise last night was fruitful?”

“Aye and nay. I believe I discovered how to use the ring, but I could not repeat it.”

“And which emotion did you use?” Aldous asked calmly taking another sip from his cup.

“The candle remained lit when I found myself crying over my parents.”

“So, it is your sorrow that gives you strength. It is indeed an odd thing that something so incredible could come from something so cruel.” He set down his cup and leaned in close to Landon. “So, you know what to do, but you have not mastered how to do it?”

“Aye. As hard as I tried, I could not cry again.”

“It is not the crying you need, it is to capture and hold that emotion within you. Come. I have something I would like for you to see.”

“Let me put on my sword first.”

“You will not need weapons, today.”

Setting down the scroll, Aldous stood to retrieve a torch from a hook in the wall. Then, he beckoned Landon to follow him into the caverns. As they strode from the room, the light faded into the long darkness. Landon felt a sudden cold as they rounded the corner and left all comfort of the dwelling behind. The last time he had come this way, it was against Aldous’ orders and with Gavin. Suddenly it occurred to him.

“What about Gavin?”

“His rest will continue. I shall endeavor to heal him.” Satisfied, Landon continued on. The two of them followed the dark paths turning left and right until they again found themselves standing in the round room with five doorways. Aldous stepped into the room and walked up to the fifth door. Landon followed and, as he approached, he noticed this doorway had a different mark on the cornerstone than the others. It was slight but apparent. Instead of a simple trapezoid the cornerstone consisted of a pentagon with five triangles arranged on the outer edges to form a star. He stopped to admire the craftsmanship Aldous must have used in order to design this.

“We need not halt in this place,” Aldous’ stern voice came from beyond the doorway. Shaken from his thoughts, Landon continued to trail Aldous’ flame through the corridor. At about a hundred paces, they stopped. Landon looked around but all he saw was bare rock.

“You’re sure we’re in the correct place?” he inquired.

“Hush!” Aldous said. Then, he raised his torch high into the air as if inspecting the ceiling. He scanned slowly looking for something, then without warning he jabbed the torch into the ceiling and yelled, ”Ah ha!” At first, nothing happened. Landon stared at the old man as though he had lost his mind. Then, a loud crack at his feet reverberated in the tunnel. Slowly, a hole began to form as the rock slid upward creating a doorway. The doorway gradually opened as the rock moved upward beginning at Landon’s knees, then his waist, and finally, above his head. It stopped with a loud boom.

“After you,” Aldous offered. Landon thought about it for a second, afraid of the unknown. Then, he decided that eventually he would need to overcome that fear. He stepped into the darkness, and Aldous followed.

The room felt cold and damp. Landon shivered. As they moved deeper into the room, Aldous’ light began to illuminate why the room felt the way it did. The room was the same shape of the cornerstone they had walked through a few minutes earlier. The walls shimmered from myriad gems and jewels buried deep within the rock face.  In the center of the room in the shape of a pentagon rested a large pool of water.

“That is the Tarn of Reflection. It has existed for millennia under this mountain. It will give you the answers you seek.”

“How do I use it?” Landon asked confusedly.

“I cannot tell you that. The tarn works for everyone in their own way. Be honest and you will succeed. I must return to our dwelling. When all your questions are satisfied, you may return.” Aldous then turned and left Landon in darkness. Suddenly, Landon’s fear overcame him. He looked around at the void surrounding him and wished he was not alone. He desired to run, but he knew that this would be his only opportunity. He sat down in the darkness facing the tarn.“So, tarn, how do I use this ring?” he asked out loud. The only response he got was silence. “This is stupid! I’m talking to a lake.” He felt a small pebble next to him and tossed it into the water. He heard it plop and saw a faint shimmer as it sank beneath the surface. A beautiful light bounced off of a few gems. Landon was perplexed. If the water wouldn’t answer his questions, then maybe a bath might at least refresh him. Though, the thought of swimming in cold water did not thrill him.

Landon removed his tunic and pants and set them aside from where he was sitting. As he scooted himself toward the water, he tried to move in a straight line so he would know where to retrieve his clothes. Slowly, he inched toward the lake not knowing exactly how much room he had left. Then, his foot touched the water. It faintly lit up again. Oddly, the water wasn’t as cold as he assumed it would be.  Landon tapped the water again with his toe, and again, the soft-green light shone from beneath its surface. Curiosity began to overcome him. He moved closer to the surface and dipped his legs into the water. More light poured from its surface dancing off of the gems and partly illuminating the cavern. Finally, he lowered his entire body into the water. Immediately, a chill ran over him and the light disappeared. A minute later his body adjusted to the cooler temperature, and he began to let the water relax him. He waited for the light to reappear, but nothing happened. The darkness remained. Puzzled, Landon moved himself away from the edge of the pool towards the center keeping him afloat. Still nothing happened. He could not see the light. He wondered if it came from below the surface. Quickly, he dunked his head under water.

Suddenly, a brilliant light erupted from the pool upward toward the ceiling. The gems on the walls shone brightly radiating back the light. The room danced with beams of different colors. Landon felt weightless, and a calm passed over him. Then, without warning, his mind flashed back to the dreams he had had the previous night. They were images from his life forcing him to relive his sad childhood. The first vision was the time he first met anyone outside of the farm:

For the most part, Mordecai kept Landon isolated. It was only until his late childhood that Landon met anyone other than the messengers who occasionally arrived at the farm. A travelling band of merchants had come to Camsbury and set up shop outside the city gates. By this time Landon had been asking many questions about the outside world, and Mordecai knew that he could not keep Landon stuck on the farm forever. And at any rate, they needed a market to sell their harvest. He decided it was time to let Landon meet the world.

That night they readied the horses and set out for Landon’s first real adventure of his life. He remembered
being incredibly excited. Not only were the two of them leaving the farm to meet others, but they were meeting people from around the world. Landon wasn’t sure what kind of people he would meet. He wondered if people in other places had four arms or two heads or some other crazy deformity that distinguished them. The few hours it took to get to Camsbury were the most anxious he had ever experienced. The anxiety made the trip feel like it had taken days.

When they finally arrived, Landon couldn’t believe his eyes. Large tents covered the ground as far as the eye could see. Flames were lit everywhere in the twilight allowing him to see everything as clear as though it were daytime. Booths stood everywhere with sellers proffering the rarest of worldly items. Hundreds of people roamed the small tent city. Landon looked to his uncle with an appearance of amazement. Mordecai laughed.

“Where can we begin?” Landon asked.

“How about I introduce you to a friend,” his uncle responded. As they entered the foray the first thing Landon noticed was the first two tents at the entrance. They stood on either side rising into the heavens as two giants who stood watch over the area. Landon had to crane his next just to see their peaks. As they passed by, Landon could not take his eyes off of them. He nearly tripped over a large stone looking back to see them. Mordecai stabilized him and they continued walking, turning left and right, meandering through the throng of people until they arrived at a tent with its flap slightly ajar.

“This is a local merchant in Camsbury. He always sets up shop when these travelers come because they draw such large crowds. His name is Archer,” Mordecai explained. They entered the tent and a burly man with a large leather jerkin greeted Mordecai warmly. They clasped hands and laughed, then, Mordecai introduced him to Landon.

“This must be overwhelming for you, boy!” Archer exclaimed.

“A little, sir,” he said. Then, Archer turned his attention back on his uncle. They moved over to a small round table and began a conversation that slowly made them lose interest in Landon. Feeling awkward and forgotten, Landon decided to venture out on his own. He quietly slipped out of the tent without being noticed and wandered the rows of tents trying to find something interesting. Most of the sellers’ booths were too tall for Landon to see what they were selling, so he thought about entering a tent. Finally, he found one called Godfrey’s Weaponry.

Abruptly, Landon opened his eyes to realize he was still floating in the tarn. His uncle’s harsh words that were soon to follow had jolted him out of sleep. Realizing where he was, he recognized that the tarn had been giving him these visions. In essence it put him to sleep while still swimming. It seemed a dangerous prospect, but apparently he had survived thus far from drowning. His eyes began to gather weight again. He didn’t understand how this was supposed to help him but it seemed he had little choice in the matter now. The next dream to overtake him was a comforting, stark contrast to his previous one. It was when Mordecai first allowed him to work the farm with him:

As Landon grew older, Mordecai began to connect with his nephew in the field. Slowly, he would give Landon responsibilities and jobs to complete which gave them their first
real chances to bond. Landon yearned for this relational connection as he had never received it before from his uncle. His uncle had never trusted him to work the field and always kept him in the house when he was out on the farm. When he was eight, Landon was finally allowed to feed the animals. Though seemingly menial, it meant the world to him. He was no longer confined to the house, he was free to wander about the farm, and he began to converse with his uncle.

They talked mostly about the fieldwork. Mordecai would explain how the fields were prepared for planting, how the oxen needed the exercise, and about how long it would take between planting and seeing the first bud. Landon reveled in every word and absorbed as much as he could about how to operate a farm. There were times, however, when Mordecai would venture from the discussion of fieldwork into rumors from distant sections of the Realm. These stories ignited a flame inside Landon, and a desire to explore the world and meet new people.

Soon, he was begging for more responsibilities. He moved from just feeding the animals to cleaning them. He went from cleaning them to learning how to ride them and control them. Eventually, Landon was equally responsible for the workload.

That harvest season of his eighth year was a turning point in Landon’s life. It was the first bright light he had been given since going to live with his uncle. Before then was a different story. Pain was the one word that described Landon’s childhood.
The worst dreams for him were the images of him as a baby with an uncle who had no clue as to how to raise a child:

He lay in his crib crying, yelling for anyone to hear him or acknowledge he existed. He cried for long hours hoping his uncle would come in just to be with him. Eventually, Mordecai would enter asking him to stay quiet then leave the room again. Landon would comply, learning to play with his crib of straw and his tiny imagination. This was not necessarily all Mordecai’s fault for in his panic to learn all he could about how to raise a baby, he sought advice from many prominent women in town who all told him that babies would cry themselves to sleep and that they slept constantly. Mordecai assumed he was to feed the baby and let him sleep. Never did it occur to him to play with the child especially when he had work in the field to do.

For much of Landon’s life as a baby, he received little interaction from his uncle. This caused him to be slow on learning how to speak, which also made Mordecai unsure of his intelligence. Eventually, though, as Landon aged, he did learn to speak and was quite curious about many things. Mordecai would often answer his questions, but usually he would tell him to stay quiet and play in his room. The only friends he had were a stuffed horse a woman in town had brought when he was barely a year old and an old leather pouch Mordecai had given him.
Those toys had gotten him through many lonely hours.