The Orb of "Unlimited" Power Ch. 5 - 6

October 2004 ~ Start of the First Snow 506 C.

Fileus paced on a flat, rocky plain on top of a mountain in the east. The skies were a milky grey, and there was a light snowfall. He repeatedly started up a small flame in his cold hands every now and then. If only I could start flames up with my feet, he thought to himself. Maybe he could and just never thought to try it.

A bright, golden light erupted not far from him. Arkhill appeared in his grey cloak. His beard had grown a couple of inches. “Hello, Fileus! Beautiful day, isn’t it?”

Fileus shrugged as he glanced at the sky. “If you think grey clouds and a cold breeze make a good day, then yes, it is.”

Arkhill strolled over to him. “Never have I witnessed a terrible day. A terrible day to me would be if the world broke and cracked open; if the skies turned black; if the rivers ran red. Hopefully I will never have to witness such a day.” He paused and stared off toward the west. “Sorry, my friend, I drifted away there for a bit. Why have you called me here?”

“I met your brother last night. He came by my place with a couple of mages.” A strong wind picked up, causing the hem of Fileus’s trench coat to flap wildly and the snow to blow in his face. Arkhill spread his hands out and a golden light streamed out and encircled the two men, blocking off the wind.

“That’s better,” Arkhill noted.

“If you gave me the chance I could’ve turned the wind away.”

“Yes, I know. Now, how did the meeting go?”

Fileus frowned. “He’s not what I expected. We spoke about other things besides you and the orb while his friends went and ransacked my home. I think he was trying to make idle conversation. Then when they didn’t find the orb, even after I told them I didn’t have it, he very politely threated to harm Michael if I didn’t present the orb to him by the First Bloom.”

“Michael? Salamon’s heir?”

“The very same.”

Arkhill scowled. “What does Michael have to do with this?”

“It’s my fault,” Fileus sighed. “He ran away from home a few cycles ago, and I found him in an alleyway near where I lived. It took a while before he told me who he was. Anyway, Michael often visited my home after I convinced him to return to his home, and we would talk about things. According to him, I am the only person in this whole world who treats him normal. And he became my friend. But back to your question, apparently your brother’s been spying on me as well. He found out that I am fond of the lad and so that’s why your brother’s threatened to harm him.”

Arkhill scratched his chin. “And what did you tell him?”

“What else? I told him I would try to reason with you. But if I can’t present the orb to him by the First Bloom . . .” He paused. “This would’ve been so simple if he didn’t involve Michael.”

“He still would’ve found a way. If he’s recruiting mages to his side, you probably shouldn’t provoke him. He can be forgiving, but he has his limits.” A flock of birds flew over their heads. “How old is Alaine now?”

“She’s nine according to their time. If she were here, she’d be six.”

“How is she?”

Fileus smiled as he rubbed his arms. “She’s doing very well and growing so fast.”

“Are you still visiting her once a year of Earth’s time?”

“Yes.” Fileus ran the toe of his boot over a loose rock. “Well, there have been a few exceptions: her first day of school, and that one day when she was six, their time. I had been feeling a bit depressed and decided to go over and see her. She was at the park playing on one of those playground things and she fell and broke her leg. Her mother was by her side in a second. I wanted so much to go over and help her, but I was afraid her mother would recognize me. Apparently the leg didn’t heal right because she has a, well it’s not very noticeable at first, but she has a small limp when she walks. I don’t think it bothers her, though.”

Arkhill didn’t appear to be freezing. Even inside his barrier, the cold found a way in. “Are you doing alright with the time difference?”

“Yes. It wasn’t hard to figure it out. After I got my hands on one of their calendars I just lined the time up with ours. Did you know our cycles are longer than theirs?”

“Yes, I did.”

“So, what are we going to do about your brother? Alaine isn’t old enough to wield the orb.”

Arkhill shook his head. “No, she isn’t.”

“Then what should we do?”

Arkhill was silent for a moment, staring off into the distance. “I think we should-” he stopped and his blue eyes flashed. The barrier disappeared. Arkhill turned and began to walk away.

“Arkhill?” Why was he leaving? “What should I do?”

“Protect the boy as best you can,” he called back. “I’m sorry. I am needed elsewhere. We will discuss this later, I promise.” The golden light appeared around his entire body and he disappeared a moment later, leaving Fileus standing in the cold.

Fileus returned to Caledonia and immediately composed a letter to Michael’s mother.

The letter was sent and a reply came later that evening.

•••

Lilith circled the large table in Fileus’s hideout. She wore a black cloak with the hood down and a white dress underneath. Her blond hair was tied in a neat bun on top of her head. “So, my son is in danger because of you.”

“I’m sorry,” Fileus whispered. “If you want him safe, send him away.”

“To where? If there are mages looking for him, then where’s the safest place?”

“Frostlight is the only place I believe is safest for your son.”

Lilith stopped walking and picked up a ladle. “And for how long must my son be away from me?”

“I don’t know, until the danger has passed. But you must do it quickly. When you and your family travel to Frostlight for the Winter Festival see to it that Michael remains there.”

Her head slightly lowered. “My husband will not be happy about this. I trust you, but he doesn’t and never will even after what you did for us. But I will do as you ask and think of some excuse.” Lilith put the ladle down and made her way to the tunnel, but stopped “Fileus, who is after my son?”

He crossed his arms. “An old mage who wants something from me. I can’t really say what it is, but he threated to harm Michael if I didn’t give it to him.”

“I see. I will ask no further questions. Thank you for this, Fileus. And in the near future, perhaps you could spend less time with my son, if you are concerned about his safety.”

“Of course, my lady.”

She withdrew from the room and quickly walked through the tunnel and up the stairs. Four guards were awaiting her and escorted her out of the storeroom and out into the cold. Lilith put up her hood and all five of them quickly made their way through the slums and out to the main road where a white carriage waited to take her home.

September 2008 ~ Middle of the First Harvest 508 C.

The orb is at the very top of the King’s Peak. Arkhill’s last words to Fileus still rang fresh in his mind. The top of the King’s Peak? No one in their entire history had ever been to the very top. Well, except for Arkhill. Fileus had asked him how he was supposed to get to the top, but all Arkhill did was smile and then he disappeared. Fileus was starting to hate how Arkhill explained less and less and just disappeared mid-way through a conversation. Ever since Fileus told him he met his brother, their meetings became scarce.

Even though the world was going through its harvest season, the mountain terrain around the King’s Peak was still as cold as the dead of winter. The sky was clean of clouds, which was good, so Fileus could keep an eye out for any dragons. The beasts kept to themselves. They were peaceful; if no one bothered them they didn’t bother anyone else. But the King’s Peak sat right at the heart of their territory. How was he supposed to reach the orb if a horde of dragons surrounded the area? And more importantly, how was he even going to reach the orb?

Before he knew it, Fileus arrived at the base of the peak. Strangely enough, he encountered no dragons. Where were they? Then Fileus suddenly started to laugh to himself. Oh, how could he have forgotten? The dragons were all gone this time of year! They migrated to the south and then a little west to an island. No one knew what they did there, but they stayed until the First Showers and then returned to the mountains. Fileus relaxed and then stared up at the peak. He wondered how tall it was. “How in Chora’s name am I supposed to get up there?” Did Arkhill expect him to use the stone? But what if he miscalculated and ended up freefalling to his death?

A strong gust of wind blew from behind him. Fileus reached his arm out behind his back and tried to calm the wind, but it stopped all of a sudden. A loud thud made the ground quake and the pebbles around his feet to bounce. He tensed up. Perhaps not all the dragon had left. Fileus slowly turned around and stood dumbfounded. Before him sat a massive, grey dragon. The beast towered over him and tilted his head from side-to-side. The dragon then bent his head down low so that he was at eye level with Fileus.

“You must be the pest Arkhill spoke of,” it spoke in a deep, rumbling voice.

Fileus didn’t know what to do. Should he answer? How was the dragon even speaking his dialect? “Uh, ye . . . yes,” he stuttered. “M . . . my name is . . . Fileus.”

The dragon slightly pulled his head back, making Fileus jumped. “Do not be alarmed, little pest, I am not here to make a meal of you. Arkhill told me you needed a ride to the top of peak. I am here to assist you.”

Fileus raised his eyebrows. “Ride? Up there? Are you sure? There isn’t maybe a secret passage way that leads up to the top?”

“And why would there be? Come, you are wasting my time and I value my time. Crawl up onto my neck and don’t even think about using that fire of yours or I will fling you off.” He bent his head down all the way to the ground and Fileus cautiously walked toward him.

“Do you have a name?” Fileus asked at he climbed up onto the dragon’s neck which was almost as tall as him.

“I am called many names, but the one I give to pests is the Elder Dragon.”

“So you’re the leader then?”

“Yes. Now, hold on tight. If you fall, it is of your doing, and I am not the fastest dragon, so don’t expect me to catch you.” The Elder Dragon spread his wings out and began to flap.

Fileus hugged the dragon’s neck with his entire body, and then they lifted off of the ground. After they were several feet from the ground, the Elder Dragon turn his wings and began to beat his wings as they flew circles upward to the top of the peak. Fileus had a new realization. He hated heights. No wonder he always preferred to live underground. His eyes were shut tight as the air pelted him to the dragon’s neck. But then suddenly, everything shook violently. Fileus opened his eyes and realized that the Elder Dragon was hanging onto the side of the peak at the very top.

“Get off and fetch your artifact,” the Elder Dragon growled.

But Fileus couldn’t move. He clung to the scales of the neck, shaking in the wind. “I . . . I can’t!”

The dragon twisted his neck to look at Fileus. “If you do not get off this instant, I will throw you off! You can climb on my arm. Now do it!”

Fileus slowly loosened his grip and slid down the neck. He then crawled on all fours across the arm. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the ground hundreds of feet below him. His stomach twisted up in knots and he hurried to the clawed hand. Fileus stuck his boot between two claws and reached up. The peak didn’t come to an exact point; it flattened out maybe three feet. Fileus tried to pull himself up, but his arms seemed to have lost their strength. The Elder Dragon seemed to have noticed and slowly moved his hand up and Fileus was able to climb up and kneel down at the top. He took in deep breaths as he surveyed the landscape. If he hadn’t been so frightened, he might have actually enjoyed the rolling, pointed mountains, the endless green and yellow fields to the south, the woodland forests, or the white peaks to the north, but he didn’t. Fileus suddenly remembered why he was here. He dug his fingers through the rocky earth. How big was the orb? Hopefully not too big. But then he saw something gold. He picked up a rock the size of his face and right there underneath was the orb. Fileus snatched it up and put it into his coat pocket. As he turned around, the Elder Dragon had his hand held out. Fileus slid into it and then the dragon carried Fileus to the very back of his head.

Fileus grabbed onto two small horns on the top of the dragon’s head, and held on for dear life as the dragon let go of the peak and fell toward the ground.

•••

The orb sat on the tip of a slender, glass bottle. It emitted a soft, golden glow, providing half of the light in the room. Fileus had moved one of the chairs over to his apothecary table and sat in it while he attentively watched the orb. For such a small thing, it was hard to believe that it held so much power.

He was tempted. Tempted to reach out and take the power. Who wouldn’t? But even if he did, it wouldn’t work. The orb needed to be wielded by a being with no magic. But Alaine was still too young. She just had her thirteenth birthday. Fileus could see so much of Rose in her: the shape of her face, the way she smiled, the way her hair fell straight; the list went on. Was there any part of her that resembled him? Maybe her nose; the way the tip lifted slightly upward rather than heading straight down. Fileus often wondered what life would’ve been like if Rose still lived and if Alaine were here. Would they take trips up to Kineallen to visit her mother? Would they move to Kineallen to be closer to Rose? Would Rose change her mind and want to keep Alaine? But alas, there was no way of knowing any of these answers.

Fileus jumped up from the chair and reached for the orb. The orb filled the palm of his hand. It felt warm, or maybe that was him giving off the heat. It was strange that such a small thing could cause so much trouble. If only there was a way to destroy it, then Alaine would remain on Earth, Arkhill would maybe come to his senses and take care of his brother, and perhaps the fighting would stop. But the only one who could destroy the orb was its creator. And the creator of this world had left when the world hadn’t even turned a century.

Now, Fileus had the orb. He might as well have stashed away all of the world’s wealth in his hideout and it wouldn’t even come close to how much the orb was worth. He’d have to take it with him wherever he went. If anyone ever stole into his hideout and discovered it and if it was someone without magic . . . He’d have to hide it, just for a couple more cycles. But where? Not where Arkhill had hidden it. He’d never do that again.

He set the orb back on the bottle. Maybe he could hide it somewhere that meant something to him. Somewhere deserted or populated? Populated would probably be better. No one would suspect. And then he knew the perfect spot.

Fileus took the orb and fetched his trench coat. He pulled the stone off his neck and swung it around his head. When the white light disappeared he was standing in the marketplace at Kineallen. The two moons were a blaze and the sky was speckled with lights. Not a soul was to be seen, except for the occasional cat darting across the cobble stone plain. A fountain of a dragon stood in the center, spewing water out of its mouth. Fileus stared a moment at the dragon. Hiding the orb in the dragon’s mouth was tempting, but the light from the orb would be too obvious.

Fileus made his way east to a chapel dedicated to their creator Chora. There were graves and monuments dedicated to important people behind the chapel. The chapel was a one story stone structure with tall windows, a large double wooden door with brass nobs, and three pointed spires on the roof. A metal fence surrounded the graveyard in the back, but the gate was always unlocked. It didn’t take long to find the one for Rose. A life-size, marble statue of her stood at the head of her grave; her husband and their three boys stood beside her. A veil was draped over her face with her crown on her head. It felt weird to be here. In fact, it was the first time Fileus ever stepped foot in the graveyard. For a second his vision blurred.

“My lady,” he bowed before the statue. “It’s been far too long. I’m sorry I haven’t come to visit. It was just too hard.” Fileus took a step forward. “If you’re interested, Alaine is doing wonderfully. She looks so much like you. I wish you could see her.” The warm summer breeze ruffled his hair and dried his tears. “I miss you so much. I think about you all the time and wish . . . I wish things had been different. I hope it was a quick death. I hope you felt no pain.” He put his hand in his pocket and felt the orb. “My love, I must ask some of you.” He withdrew the orb. “Would you look after this?” He knelt and dug his fingers into the soft earth. “It’s meant for our daughter. Another searches for this and he cannot have it or thousands of lives will be lost.” He placed the orb in the small hole and covered it up. “I will love you always, Rose. Always.” A tear dripped down his cheek and fell on top of the small mound of dirt. Fileus lifted his hands from the ground and as he stood up, a light pulsed out from the orb and traveled over the top of her grave and up the statue in less than a second. Fileus frowned. “Is it supposed to do that?” he mumbled. He waited a few minutes, but nothing else happened. The orb remained silent. “Perhaps I imaged it.” He walked away, but glanced back one more time at the statue of his love. If only he possessed the gift of life and death.