The Realm, Chapter 4: The Path

Written by Shaela Druyon Thursday, 06 August 2009 00:38

Birds chirped in the lush forest behind them.  Exotic trees bordered the narrow white shore as far as Alex could see in either direction, and the blue of the sky held such a richness and purity that the swirling white clouds made it seem a surging river.

"The realm?" Alex repeated as he glanced back at Jase, one eyebrow arching dubiously.  "The realm of what?"

"The Realm is the King's domain, Alex, and the only way you could have come here is if you had an open heart to His Word."  Jase narrowed his eyes slightly, questioning.  "Where did you get that scrap of paper, from, anyway?  It had His Words on it...."

Embarrassed and a little ashamed, Alex said quickly, "It was an accident, I swear. I was looking at the book your mom brought out, and I got startled when you came back in and--"

"Chill, chill, man."  Jase motioned with his hands to calm him.  "Don't worry about it, I was just checking.  Besides..."  He took Alex's hand and clapped something into it, grinning slightly.  "I don't believe in accidents."

Alex unfolded his hand to see the crumpled scrap of paper from the ancient book.  He glanced over the words scrawled on it, remembering the night in the basement when he'd first read them, and the comfort they had brought him. 

"That was an invitation, and you accepted it.  Or else you wouldn't be here."

"What are you talking about?"  Alex recalled his silent prayer in the basement.  "What exactly was I invited to?"

Jase didn't respond, making Alex glance up.  The older boy's eyes danced with a fierce light, his face aglow as he said softly, "To become a Chosen."

A salted breeze blew over them and the sky darkened briefly as a cloud passed over the sun.  The two boys glanced up.  The clouds had turned gray and the air around them chilled, making Alex shiver in his still-damp clothes.

"Maybe we should--"

Jase motioned for silence, his eyes darting from one side of the shore to the other.  He had lowered his stance, his right hand hovering over his left hip while his left arm rose protectively in front of him.  He could have passed for a swordsman if only his gripped hands held a weapon or shield.

"What are you--?"

"Shh..."

The ocean waves crashed against the shore more furiously.  A sense of menace filled the air.

"We need to find the path, Alex," Jase said, eyes vigilant as he backed up one pace, then another.  "No matter what happens, stay on the path, do you understand?"

In the split-second he took to glance back at Alex, a black shape leapt from behind the shadows and pounced on the older boy, sending him to the ground in a spray of rocks and sand.  At the same time, where Jase seemed to be gripping nothing, there flashed a shimmering blade, and where he seemed to be blocking with only his arm, a gleaming shield leaped between him and the weight of the dark figure.

Rolling with the tackle, Jase flipped his assailant over and jumped to his feet, brandishing sword and shield against the oncoming attack.  "Run, Alex!"  He blocked a slash from the creature's black claws then swung the blade in a brilliant arc.  "The path--get to the path!"  Another block.

The shadow hissed, fire-red eyes penetrating through Jase's defense to meet Alex's gaze with a predatory gleam.  Alex stood fixed to his spot, frozen with fear.  His vision blurred red.  His muscles began to liquefy.

"No!"

Suddenly, Jase was in front of him, blocking the hypnotic gaze with his shield.  "Get out of here!"  He shoved Alex, jolting him out of his stupor and sending him in the direction of the forest.

Hardly aware of his surroundings, Alex stumbled through the sand.  "Find the path!" he heard Jase call just as he broke through the brush separating the edge of the beach and the forest.  Everywhere he turned, trees and shrubs blocked his way.  In growing panic, Alex scanned the forest floor for anything even vaguely resembling a path.

"Where?"  he said.  "What path?"

Just then, a rabbit darted from one of the bushes he stepped through, making Alex look up.  There!--not ten paces away, where the rabbit had disappeared behind a cluster of trees, a narrow trail wound through the grass and shrubs.  Alex hastened toward it, daring to glance back to see how Jase fared.

"Ahh!"

Something icy slammed into Alex with a violent snarl, wrapping him up in a vice-like grip that chilled him from head to toe.  The cold deepened, a cold that penetrated deeper than skin, deeper than bone.  He grunted and kicked at the huge shape, but its grip only tightened.

"You are mine, fledgling," it hissed.  "Stop your useless struggling.  It will go easier for you when you meet our master if you do not resist..."

Fear struck Alex at the thought of meeting the master of these dark creatures, and even more so to think that he would be at their mercy.

He threw his eyes about desperately for some means of escape.  Glancing over the creature's shoulder, he noticed for the first time a figure, radiant in a beam of sunlight, standing on the path where the rabbit had disappeared.

The icy grip tightened.  Alex felt a rib crack and cried out in pain.  Tears leaked out from his clenched eyes, but the image of the regal figure still burned in his vision, his only hope of rescue.

Gulping in a mouthful of air, Alex mustered his strength and, as the creature raised a hand to stifle him, managed to give one muffled cry for help.

The next moment, a balmy flood of gold washed over him and his captor, who screeched as though in pain.  Steam rose from the cold black arms holding Alex, and an acrid smell filled his nostrils.

"You cannot save them all," the creature shrieked, and suddenly the arms around Alex vanished, dropping him sharply to the ground.

Cradling his ribs in one arm, he rolled onto his side and looked up.  From this inverted position, the ground seemed a kind of wall which the blurred figure approaching him seemed to be walking sideways upon. 

Alex closed his eyes against a fresh stab of pain from his rib.

Sudden warmth filled him as a hand pressed against his side, wholly unlike the cold grip of the shadow.  His suffering eased, and the peace and comfort that flowed through the touch caused Alex to exhale all that remained of his pain and fatigue.

"You may open your eyes," said a rich, powerful voice that was at the same time mild and unassuming.

Alex opened his eyes to find himself lying on his side along the path, though he was in the exact spot he had been before the shadow had attacked.  Or had it attacked?  Now that he sat up, it did feel as if he'd just awoken from a strange dream.

He felt his side gingerly.  It had certainly seemed real.

"Alex!"

Jase broke through the underbrush, no sign of sword or shield (had Alex imagined that as well?), and quickly joined Alex on the path.  He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good, you made it..."

"I'm not sure I did," Alex replied absently, still feeling his undamaged ribs.

"What?"

Alex stood and told Jase what had happened, half expecting him to react with disbelief, but Jase just folded his arms and nodded.

"'His eyes range the world in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him...'"1

"Is that supposed to be a riddle?  What's going on here?" Alex suddenly demanded, the shock and trauma of what had happened finally crashing down on him.  "Who was that?  What were those things?  Where am I?  I mean, how did I get here?  Why am I here?"

"Slow down, Alex," Jase said.  "I'll answer your questions as best I can, but not here.  We're not safe staying in one place for too long, even on the path."

Alex folded his arms.  "I don't care.  I want answers--now."

Jase's eyebrow rose humorously.  "You don't care that whatever attacked us--whatever almost had you--could return at any moment with twenty friends to try to knock us from the one place in the Wild it can't touch so that it can have its way with us?"

"...Okay, let's walk."


[1] II Chronicles 16:9

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