CHOICES is the first book in the Chronicles of a Hero fantasy series. This is the story of Wendell P. Dipmier, who Iâve been writing about since 1990. I hope youâll join me on this new adventureâŚ.as I tell the honest, complete story of this amazing 17 year old, exclusively on Life of Fiction.
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Chapter 7
There comes a moment in every life when the Universe presents you with an opportunity to rise to your potential. An open door that only requires the heart to walk through, seize it, and hang on.Â
The choice is never simple. It is never easy. Â
Itâs not supposed to be.
The state of your heart always determines your potential.
The rest is just practice.
âWhat did you think of Sanctuary?â asked Delnar.
We stopped at the terrace and took the time to gaze over the last light in the valley. It lookedâŚpeaceful. High above us, Elämä moved through the expanse of space, blotting out the last rays of the sunâŚa silent call to the magic hidden throughout Erimuri. As the darkness of night fell over us, millions of embedded crystals along the stone wall came to life. Soft blue stars cast their light across the white city, while small lamps, filled with similar crystals, breathed life among the streets and paths Iâd walked that day.
âDid you find food?â Delnar asked.
âUh-huh,â I said, distracted by thoughts of the day.
âWhat happened to your arm?â He asked.
I looked down at the makeshift bandage to support the wound, but all I could think about was Kyliene.
âWendell?â
âWhat?â I said. âOh. Sorry. I-I fellâŚout of a tree. Nana said I cracked the bones in my arm.â My attention drifted from the dayâs labors to the market. It still blew me away that people were willing to feed a complete stranger. They didnât know me at all, and yet they were willing to care for me as if I was one of their own. âItâŚdoesnât hurt anymore,â I added lazily.
She liked me.
Kyliene didnât know who I was. She didnât know where I came from, or any of the dozens of things that were wrong with my life and personality. She liked me. That simple fact, which almost sounded unnatural to a nerd like me, made me smile. Even when I made a dork of myself, andâŚI looked down at the bandage. It was stupid, taking those risks, jumping out of a tree. I know it was stupid trying to impress a girl.
But she still liked me.Â
âToday was wonderful,â I said, grinning wider. âAmazing, actually. Iâve never had a day like it. Everyone was so kind and giving. No one questioned my presence or remarked how visually different I was.â But one thought nagged at me. âMy mom would have enjoyed meeting the friends I made today.â
The High Elder seemed to struggle, trying to keep his smile in check. âEspecially Kyliene?â
I smirked. âStill, a month is a long time to be away.â
The High Elder looked at me, surprised. âYou wonât be gone a month. It will be far less than that.â
My head snapped up. âWhat did you say?â
âYou will not be gone as long as you suppose,â he clarified.
âYouâre not making sense,â I said. âNot that youâve made much sense since I got here, butâŚexplain this to me.â
Looking upward, Delnar swept his hand across the sky, as if revealing the whole of space and the countless stars filling the expanse before us. âWhat your world has yet to discover is that time is a relative thingâŚspecific to the sphere in which it is bound. Time does not pass at the same rate as Earth.â
I could feel my brows curving inward. âYeeaaah, weâre still talking crazy here.â
The High Elder laughed. âThis world rotates faster than your adopted planet. We brought you to a world where time moves slower. Many generations have passed on Elämä since you were born. ThusâŚyou have time.â
âGenerations?â I said. âWait. Wait. ThatâsâŚlifetimes!â
âCorrect,â he said.
Shock, confusion and realization battled for control of my face as we walked along the torch lit terrace. Not like Iâd studied the subject of time, or the cosmos, but,âŚI thought time was just, you knowâŚtime? This made little sense to me.Â
âSays the teenage kid trapped in a magical land with a diamond sticking out of his chest,â Doubt laughed.Â
All this had me thinking. âHow long do you think I could live here and notâŚyou knowâŚbe missed?â I asked. âIf, suppose, I wanted to stay awhileâŚlonger?â
The High Elder stepped to my side. âLetâs look at that wound before we go in, shall we?â
Frustrated, I didnât want to push the point. The last thing I wanted was to have Delnar think I was caving and changing my mind. So I stood still and raised my forearm. Unwrapping the handkerchief, the High Elder handed the sticks and cloth to me and examined my arm.Â
âDoes this hurt?â He pressed his fingers into the skin near my elbow.
âNope,â I said.
âUncomfortable?â he asked, running his thumbs up and down the length of the bone.
I shook my head. âNot in the least.â
Satisfied, he nodded. âThe Ithari has performed her wonders. You are whole once more.âÂ
With all the preoccupation over Kyliene, I just had paid little attention to my wound. Staring at my arm, I flipped my palm back and forth. I had full range of motion and not a single tinge of pain or discomfort. âI noticed a warming sensation soon after the fall, butâŚâ A flicker of motion in my peripheral vision cut me off.
Three robed men briskly approached from a far corner of the terrace. Two wore white robes, both of similar height, but one filled out the cloth with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. The third, his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, wore black. He was nearly a head taller than the others, slim, but also broad. He moved with certainty and purpose, his strides even and leveled, which gave him the illusion of floating across the ground. Two nodded in polite acknowledgment as they passed.Â
The youngest one turned deliberately, and our eyes met.
He looked to be fifteen, maybe sixteen at the most, but his self-confidence was unmistakable. His posture, stride, and his expression. I knew that expression. It was one the rich kids in school had when they believed they were Godâs gift to the world. They were better than you, and they knew it. His pace slowed as his stare intensified, curious.
âWhatâs his problem?â said Doubt.
Good question. I avoided the stare and looked down at my feet.
The High Elder turned to address the three. âGaidred?â
Bowing slightly, the one in black spoke clearly in low tones. âHigh Elder, we have yet to hear from Tiell. As we discussed in Council meeting, our situation becomes grave. In light of this, Brother Tursin and I would offer our services.â
Looking to each robe and then back to Gaidred, deep furrows in his brow, the High Elder nodded. âContinue.â
âWe would open the way to Tämä-Un and discover why Tiell is delayed.â
Delnar slowly paced in front of them, stroking his beard thoughtfully. âI fear opening the gate more than necessary. Shea spoke of a dark presence he felt within Sanctuary this very morning.â
âHe was not the only one,â Gaidred added. âI myself have felt an intruder.â He looked at his brothers. âWhen I tried to identify its source, the presence eluded me.â
Delnar stopped short. âEluded? Do you believe our defenses breached?â
Gaidred pulled back his hood. His lean face and chiseled features complimented his trimmed, raven black goatee. His eyes narrowed as they met Delnarâs. âI believe something has entered the protected city and is moving from valley to valley.â His eyes flickered in my direction without actually looking directly at me. âI believe it is searching.â
The High Elder turned to the youngest. âShea?â
I noticed a moment of hesitation between them. This Shea and the High Elder. They looked almost identical, except for the grey facial hair and wrinkles.
Shea bowed his head. âWe detected the presence near the time Tiell opened the Prime Gate. When I inspected our defenses, I discovered that none had been tampered with. That leaves the Gate itself.â He shot me an uncomfortable glance. âWith brother Tiell long overdue from his routine excursion, logic would point to the gate.â
I did my best to make it look like I wasnât listening, but I had nowhere to go. Quietly, I shifted my weight from one foot to another, keeping my hands at my side, trying to focus on the distant lights of the city. I even held my breath in spurts, afraid Iâd grab their attention, exhaling slowly through my nose to muffle the sound of my breathing.
Again, Shea looked over with aggressive eyes.
âWhat the crap is his problem?!â Doubt jumped in. âJust go punch him in the face.â
What? No!
âHeâs annoying.â
When did you get violent?Â
âWhen you got super powers. Donât let this bubble up into another bully. Take him out before he has a chance to test his resolve.â
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