Winter's Fury - Volume Two of The Saga of the Twelves (62 page)

Anthony complied. “Ok, I’m
sitting.” He squatted before Joaquin on the balls of his feet. “So
what’s the big deal? Why does this conversation have to be in
private?”

Joaquin sighed, gathering
his thoughts, looking off to the right of Anthony’s shoulder. He
could not bring himself to peer into the other boy’s eyes. “Hey,
man, I said I was sorry about breaking up the little love-fest
between you and Soph.”

Anthony squinted at him,
quizzical. “It’s not just that, Joaquin,” he began. He stared in
the wrestler’s eyes like the waters of a flash flood. The stare
seemed to grow in strength with each passing breath. The veneer of
the Kring-Hël was coalescing about him now. Once it started, the
change would come at speed.

Even to one as
knowledgeable Joaquin, witnessing the other’ presence grow was
incredible. And, he knew in advance it would happen. Soon he would
command a room without having spoken, be the center of attention
like a magnet to filaments of flint. It would seem natural, but the
effect on someone watching from afar would be awe
inspiring.

Anthony noticed his
reluctance and went on. “I know there is more here, Joaquin. You
aren’t some shy ninth grader. I know walking in on a make-out
session wouldn’t bother you all that much. This is about something
else. So, if you don’t mind, I‘d like for you to stop stalling and
just tell me what’s going on. We don’t want to bring too much
attention to ourselves, do we? We don’t want to others to start
freaking out or anything,” prodded Anthony. “I would say we have
about ten minutes before suspicion sets in. Don’t ya
think?”

Joaquin looked at him,
because he was unable to stop. He agreed with every fiber.
Is he hiding something too?
Joaquin waited, but his Gift did not provide the answer. He
exhaled, loud, running his hand through his hair, a frown etching
his features as he focused his thoughts. “Do you remember
everything I told you about the Legacy of Truth?”

“
Of course I do, man. What
do you think? You think I take all this shit in stride or
something?” came Anthony’s immediate response.

Joaquin waved away the
other’s sarcasm with his hand. “That’s not what I meant, bro. I
know you take this stuff serious. I’m not stupid. I know you have
two little sisters involved in this shit. I know if you weren’t the
Kring-Hël, the Light of the World, you’d still have more at stake
than the rest of us.” Joaquin shifted his position so he could look
more direct at Anthony. “I’m talking about the specifics. What do
you recall?”

“
Ok, ok,” placated
Anthony, hands out in front of him, palms down. He was surprised at
how much he already missed Sophie’s arms about him.

Jeez, Tony, get a
grip!

“
I remember that there
have been many Kring-Hëls in the past. Yet, none of them had ever
attained his true power or potential by wielding the Legacy of
Truth.” He paused in thought, his brow wrinkling. “ I also remember
you didn’t quite know what the Legacy was. You only know where it’s
hidden, or kept, all this time. You said, it was in a cavern, a
huge one whose entrance guarded by a large crucifix.” He cleared
his throat, aligning his thoughts. “Umm, the crucifix, you said, is
in the middle of a clearing. And the clearing used to be within the
Scholl Canyon garbage dump, but has since moved to Crystal Lake up
in the mountains. You said its’ moving had something to do with the
magic surrounding the Legacy. You said it would move if it felt
threatened. It would… ‘safe-keep’ itself to ensure I found it, or
at least that I had the highest degree of probability to do so when
the time arose.” Anthony shrugged. “That’s all I
remember.”

Throughout his entire
recollection Joaquin was nodding. He smiled a thin smile at the
mentioning of the last detail. He had an idea why the Lost Cavern
and all its environs had moved, but still was not one hundred
percent sure. “Well, I failed to mention that in the middle of this
cavern resides a small pool of water. Now, when I first looked at
it, you know, it was a waking dream. I have them when I’m using my
Gift, while awake.

“
To me, the pool looked to
be a few feet deep, maybe five feet at the most, but in reality
it’s not.”

Anthony
frowned.

A silence followed, urging
the wrestler to continue.

“
The Nohrëg Teachers told
me the Legacy of Truth was in this pool of water. They said, in
order for the Kring-Hël to realize his full potential, he would
have to swim down into the waters of the pool and retrieve
it.”

“
Ok. Well, that makes
sense, I guess.” Anthony weighed the act in his head.

“
That’s just it, though,”
Joaquin’s face filled with a pained look. “I didn’t tell you
everything that has to happen in order for you to become the one,
true Kring-Hël, the Bearer of the Legacy of Truth. I think the pool
is much, much more than just a large puddle of ultra-clean
water.”

“
What’re you getting at,
Joaquin? You’re confusing me.” The anguish in Joaquin’s face was
making Anthony wary.

“
You have to understand, I
had my reasons for not telling you when I told the entire group of
my experience with the Nohrëg.

“
One,” he held up a finger
before him, “you are right. I don’t want everyone to start freaking
out when they learn what must happen in order for you to become the
true Kring-Hël.

“
Two,” another finger went
up, “it’s your choice. You are the only one who can decide what’s
to happen to your body. No one can make that kind of decision but
you. Because of it, I thought I should tell you first, in
private.”

Anthony was still
grimacing. He edged downward to sit on his butt. His expression
froze on his face, as if something Joaquin had said opened a door
only he could see through. Whatever it was he saw, it stupefied
him.

Joaquin put down his hand.
“From this point on, I figured it would be up to you to decide how
to disseminate the information to the others. Whatever you decide
is the best course, I’ll back you up. Although, I have to tell you,
if it was me I would keep this a secret for as long as possible.
It’s too inflammatory. Information of this kind is volatile. It
must be told as gentle as possible, or conveyed at the last
possible moment. You do this to minimize the damage… and/or the
hurt.” He whispered the last part, a wan twist on his lips. “I just
thought you should hear that before I go any further.”

Through his entire
explanation, Anthony just stared back. He did not move. He had
zoned out.

Joaquin tried not to pay
too much attention to what he was doing. He had to keep up his
courage. He knew, once he started down this path, he would not want
to stop. He also knew, if he looked at Anthony, all courage would
fail him. He would not be capable of continuing.

“
Now, I know you know
this, but I want to repeat myself a bit just so I can get it
straight in my head if you don’t mind,” beseeched
Joaquin.

Anthony nodded.

“
I’ve
told you already. In the past, prior Kring-Hël potentiates remained
in only their secondary form. This was because there had never been
the need to warrant such a dramatic transformation. Thus, only the
lesser stage of the Gift was necessary. This time though, things
are different. The stakes have risen greater than in any other time
in the past. You see, the Lord of the Storm has not only created a
Melded World and marooned us upon it. He comes to destroy us
himself, in his true form, which he never would have had the
ability to do in the World of Man, but here, in this place, he can.
This is a construct of
his
forging, bent and perverted by his will and his
will alone. Thus, more than any other time, the Twelve – us - face
the greatest danger.

“
If we’re all slain, then
our deaths would spell certain doom for the World of Man, maybe
even the World of Light. That is why it is necessary for the true
Kring-Hël to emerge this time.”

“
Yes, Joaquin, I remember
everything you said in the cave. I understand the burden I must
bear,” blurted Anthony.

Joaquin could tell he was
getting anxious. He glanced over at the teenage boy across from
him, his expression as sharp as a blade. “No, you
don’t.”

“
What do you mean, I
don’t. I understand everything you’ve said.” Anthony was borderline
indignant.

Joaquin bore the brunt of
his gaze without changing the look on his face. “You might
understand what I’ve told you, but you have no idea of the burden
you have agreed to undertake.”

“
Then, by all means,
explain,” Anthony’s tone was mocking. He spread his arms
wide.

Joaquin, under normal
circumstances, would have been angry at this point. But, he did not
let himself fall prey to any unnecessary emotion. In this instance,
it was not warranted. He peered back at Anthony for a breath or
two. “It’s the nature of the pool that is the key to the revelation
of the true Kring-Hël.”

Anthony’s face went
stone-like.

Joaquin forged on. “It is
much more than just a small body of water, Anthony. It is like a
doorway, a way to cleanse the soul of all things. It could be a
link to the source of the Light itself. It is a wondrous thing, so
powerful, so beautiful.”

“
I'm getting the sense
there is a catch somewhere in all this magnificence and wonder,”
Anthony commented. His face was still stern.

Joaquin could see him
force away his feelings. “You’re right, Tony. I don’t know how to
put it to you any other way than to say in the only terms that I
can understand.”

Anthony motioned for him
to continue.

“
There is not a thing of
the living that can pass onto the Light and go unchanged. Flesh,
bone, mind, thought - it all must change from what it was and
become something else to pass back. Coming from the Light to one’s
own plane of existence requires a toll, a rather heavy-handed one
at that.

“
Do you understand what I
am saying to you?” Joaquin was watching Anthony like a hawk as the
boy gazed off to look outside at the violence of the storm, his
eyes glossy and far away.

A heartbeat passed and
then another and finally one more.

A strangled breath escaped
between Anthony’s lips that seemed to suck the life from him at
once. His head dipped. His chin came to rest upon his chest. He sat
like that, motionless and still, breathing ragged and
slow.

Joaquin let the minutes
pass in silence, waiting, watching. He heard only the monotonous
drone of the space heater in chorus with the up and down howling of
the wind outside. He prayed Anthony would hold it together. He
hoped their Kring-Hël would not blow up and cause a scene he was
ill-prepared to explain. He knew the others were not ready to hear
the truth, especially Sophie.

The doors of the store
vibrated once again as the hurricane winds thudded against them.
They groaned, resisting the bombardment.

Anthony looked up to face
Joaquin.

The hulking boy saw a
single tear had fallen from Anthony’s face. Its’ wet trail was
still visible.

“
I have to die, right?
That’s the catch, isn’t it?” he asked, his voice quivering, weak,
strained.

“
Yes.”

It was the only
answer.

It was the only
reply.

Anthony closed his eyes,
almost like he was about to fall asleep, but he was not. He spoke
with his eyelids shut. “Will I remember who I was?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
Will I look the
same?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
Will I even have the same
soul?

Before Joaquin could
answer, a new, more startling revelation descended upon Anthony’s
shoulders. He peered back at Joaquin wide-eyed and in obvious fear.
“Will I remember her?”

Joaquin looked away,
releasing a tortured breath.

“
Dammit,
Joaquin,
will I still know that I love
Sophie?!?
” His fists balled. He was just
strong enough to contain himself. Although, he looked close to
striking out at something, anything close.

Joaquin turned to gaze at
him in the face. “Anthony, my friend… my brother, I do not
know...”

Anthony buried his face in
his hands, finally releasing what he had been holding back. Soft,
pain-wracked sobs issued from him with such devastating cruelty,
Joaquin inched his way toward the teenage boy without a second
thought. He scooted on his butt until he was able to put his arms
around him and hug him. It was fierce, an embrace between men, not
boys.

“
I’m so sorry, Tony. I’m
so sorry,” he muttered, a newfound mantra he could not stop
speaking.

Be strong, Anthony! Be
strong!

Joaquin had never had a
brother, let alone had any other sibling in his life. He imagined
at that moment this was what it must be like to have a brother in
pain, a brother in need. The way he felt left no other explanation
in his mind. He was sitting there, hugging what his heart told him
was brother, his own tears streaming down his own face and onto the
floor. Somehow, at some time, both of their right hands found the
other. They clasped each other, gripping as hard as they could with
ferocious symbolism. They were brothers. They would get through
this, even if the cost was death.