When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell.
Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may.
After all...I can't fix stupid.
Previously: As the siege of Til-Thorin intensified, Wendell grappled with the burgeoning, unpredictable nature of his powers. In the heat of battle, a foreboding vision revealed the grim future awaiting them, propelling Wendell to seek a way to change the looming fate..
<— Read Previous Chapter | Start Season 4 —>
There is no such thing as an end to life. It merely takes on another form or travels to another plane of existence.
You cannot undo what is meant to last forever.
I sprinted through the Great Hall, leaping over benches and crashing into tables in a frenzy.
I’m coming! I shouted in my mind. Hang on, I’m almost there!!
I rounded the corner into the kitchen and slammed into a wooden crate lying in the middle of the floor. My thin body flipped over it, hitting the stone hard. Alhannah nearly ran into me as I jumped up, angrily kicking the obstacle out of the way.
“What is that smell?!” she squeaked, slapping a hand over her mouth. I turned my head into the crook of my elbow, gagging.
The kitchen was a mess from the quake. Pots and pans scattered everywhere, a table overturned.
I gasped as I saw smoke rising from the cook’s body. The fat man was halfway out of the hearth, legs still burning in the fire, his head crushed under an overturned table.
How could something like that happen—
“Wendell,” Alhannah whispered, tugging on my hand. She pointed. “Look.”
Four young women in servant attire lay frozen on the ground, faces contorted in fear. Their skin was pale as snow… and they had no eyes, no tongues.
I dry heaved. My mind raced with flashes from my dreams.
A scream echoed from the hallways below.
It was a voice I recognized.
I shoved past Alhannah and sprinted down the side hallway, whipping past cringing servants. I jumped down the stairwell, Alhannah right behind me.
I wasn’t sure where the scream had come from, but I ran toward the cell.
Lili screamed again.
I skidded to a halt.
No, no, no!
Three halls.
“What’s wrong?” Alhannah gasped, out of breath.
I snatched a torch from the wall and knelt where the hallways met. Footsteps in the dust and dirt led down each passageway. No way to tell which direction to go. It wasn’t likely the thief would stay at the cell—so one hall was out.
“Take that one, Alhannah,” I said, pointing into the shadows.
“No way,” she argued, “I’m watching your back.”
“There’s no time!” I snapped. Then, forcing composure, “You have to trust me on this, Alhannah. I need your help, or the fight outside will be the least of our worries.” I stared at her, unblinking. “That’s Lili screaming. She’s going to die if we don’t help her.”
Alhannah hesitated, then nodded, grabbed the torch, and raced off into the darkness.
“Stay alert!” she called, but I wasn’t listening.
I was already running in the opposite direction.
Then I saw it. An open cellar door.
A shelf to my right, two wooden crates, and three full gunny sacks.
Probably grain, I thought.
On the bottom shelf was a pile of someone’s forgotten laundry.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Ithari pulsed again, giving off that faint glow. The light seeped out from under my tunic, guiding me silently down the hall until I reached a “T” in the passageway.
I crept forward.
Crouched in the corner, Lili was trembling. She held the shard, part of the statue I had discovered. I caught a glimpse of its bright glow before she dropped it into her bag.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
“Wendell, where are you?!” Alhannah’s voice echoed from far away.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
From the opposite corner, a black-robed figure crept into view, arms outstretched. My eyes darted to the floor as insects scattered, fleeing not from under the robe but away from it.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
I looked up.
There they were.
Two torches, above Lili, just like in my dreams.
"Wendell," Doubt whispered.
Not now. This was it. I knew what had to happen next.
"Wendell," Doubt whispered again. "Wait."
I am the host of Ithari… no, I AM THE HERO… and I CAN COMMAND FIRE!
But… could I?
This was it. This had to be it.
I knew what had to happen, but the certainty I’d clung to felt like it was slipping away. What if...
No. Don’t think that way. Not now. I’d seen it in my dreams—the fire, the torches, the way they leapt to my command. It was supposed to be simple. I was the host of Ithari. That meant something, didn’t it? I’d been chosen for this… right?
But doubt crept in, like the cold of the stone beneath my feet. Why me? Why did Ithari choose me? What made me worthy of this power? I was just Wendell. A kid who didn’t know how to fight, who didn’t belong in this world of magic and war. Maybe I wasn’t strong enough. Maybe Ithari had made a mistake.
No. I couldn’t let myself believe that. Not with Lili’s life hanging in the balance.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
Ithari pulsed under my chest, a steady beat, as if it was... waiting. I gritted my teeth, trying to focus on the energy I knew was inside me. Inside us.
“We’ve done this before,” I whispered to the gem. “Just like in the dream. Help me... please. Help me save her.”
But Ithari stayed silent, its light flickering weakly beneath my tunic. I felt... disconnected from it, like a wall had sprung up between us. Why wasn’t it working? What was I doing wrong?
Maybe... maybe Ithari wasn’t the problem. Maybe it was me.
Maybe I wasn’t worthy.
I felt Ithari’s presence, but it was distant—aloof. Was it hesitating because I was? Did it know something I didn’t? Or worse... did it agree with my doubt?
Sweat dripped down my face as I stretched my hands toward the torches.
“Obey me,” I commanded, but the words felt hollow, as if I wasn’t even sure I believed them anymore.
Nothing happened.
Ithari didn’t answer.
And in the crushing silence between us, I knew—I was just Wendell. Just a kid out of his depth, wielding power that wasn’t really mine.
My jaw tightened, my hands raking through the air, every muscle tensed.
Nothing.
“WENDELL!” Alhannah’s voice was getting closer.
Lili whimpered as clawed hands, white as snow, reached from the robe’s sleeves. The skin was so transparent, I could see black veins pulsing beneath the surface.
The hands clawed at the air.
…and the fire from the torches flared.
“It will be miiiine!” the creature hissed.
No.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
This can’t be right.
Tha-THUMP-THUMP!
I realized a discouraging truth in that moment.
When the fire leapt from the sconces, expanding and swirling, splitting into giant fingers... I realized I was just Wendell.
I wanted to be a hero.
I wanted to be of value, to someone.
…but I was just... me.
And for the first time, I accepted that.
No fear. No anger. No regret.
Just sadness.
I can’t fail. Not again.
Other people shouldn’t pay for my lack of... whatever I lack.
Maybe I couldn’t be what everyone wanted me to be.
But I could help one person.
I lunged in front of Lili.
The black robe clapped its hands together, the burning extensions of its will snatching me, holding me fast.
White light exploded from Ithari.
…and I screamed.
It filled the room with a blinding intensity.
The mägo reeled back, stumbling into another torch. The oily cloth of its robe ignited.
It screeched, waving its deformed hands as it scraped along the wall, saliva dripping from its mouth, its eyestalks quivering in agony.
“SORCERER!” Alhannah yelled, and her sword flew. The blade tumbled through the air, glinting in the firelight. With a sickening thud, it sunk into the Täuku’s skull, sliding up to the hilt. As if starved for air, the magical flames sputtered and died.
The mägo crumpled over.
I screamed in agony.
My body was a battlefield of magic. Ithari, a beacon shining from my chest, tried to preserve me, sending ripples of light across my flesh while the magical flames consumed what they’d latched onto.
Lili struggled to her feet and screamed at Alhannah. “Help him!”
I collapsed to the stone floor. Wracked with pain, my body spasmed, flames crawling along my flesh, feasting.
Ithari flickered and dimmed. The flames—born of incantation—spread outward, setting the floor, walls, anything I touched, ablaze.
Lili tore off her vest and ran at me.
Alhannah tackled her, knocking Lili to the ground. “No!” she cried, “It’s magical flame—it’ll consume you!”
“Get off me!” Lili screamed frantically. “He’s dying!”
Alhannah grabbed the girl’s wrists and pinned her fast. The gnome winced with every wail of pain that escaped me.
“I know,” she choked, “I know.”
“Let me go!” shouted Lili.
Alhannah pushed her through the doors of the Keep and into the wind. “Don’t let his sacrifice be in vain,” growled the gnome, coughing. “Now get OUT!” The shove was forceful enough that Lili fell upon the steps. Alhannah drew her swords to re-engage in combat…but there was no one left to fight.
The courtyard of Til-Thorin was frozen in an eerie silence.
Lili gripped the snow in her fists and glared back at the gnome. She opened her mouth to snap a retort, but her fingers brushed against a soldier's body. A man, laid upon the steps, his face twisted in the last emotion of life. Snowflakes drifted down and landed on his blue lips.
She pushed backward, away from the body.
Alhannah stood silently, staring out over the courtyard. A dense fog had settled over the Keep. Bodies of soldiers lay strewn across the ground. But it wasn’t the fallen bodies that held the gnome's attention, so much as the contorted expressions in death. Their pale skin, faces frozen in pain, anguish, and terror. Wagons overturned and on fire, small groups huddled with their backs to the flames, shield, sword, and bow in hand. The ground was torn, a gaping chasm separating the far edge of the courtyard from the remainder of the Keep.
Three of the Rook crouched in a semi-circle, near a cracked section of the curtain wall. Their bows were drawn, watching the fields. Next to them, the body of Lady Tamorah lay upon the ground, covered with their cloaks. Her head was tenderly cradled in Dax’s lap, who looked very pale himself. He stroked her raven hair and shielded her face from the falling snow.
Soldiers crowded around breaches in the wall, staring out the gaps. Above them, standing boldly upon the remaining sections of the catwalk, was King Robert. He was attended by Lord Joram and Chuck.
The King stood motionless, the dying winds tussling his salted beard. The embers of Woodside still glowed through the grey mist of the day, black smoke rolling up the hillside. There was, however, no sign of the enemy.
“They had us,” said Joram aloud. “We could have been completely destroyed… and they let us live?”
The King watched the smoke rise from Woodside. It whipped and curled in the air, then rolled down and across the fields like the waves of an ocean at high tide. I failed them, he thought bitterly, his jaw tightening. So many of his soldiers were dead, and for what? An enemy that wasn’t even interested in taking the Keep. The weight of his responsibility hung heavier than ever, each decision carrying the ghosts of the fallen with it. I can’t afford another mistake.
“We weren’t what they were after,” Robert said, his voice flat.
“Sire?”
“See that the wounded are moved into the Keep, Joram. We have repairs to make, lest we find ourselves exposed and the enemy changes their minds.”
“Yes, sire,” Joram bowed, but he paused before leaving. “And the dead?”
“Once we have fortified the living, we will have time to honor the dead.”
Joram nodded and scuttled down the steps.
Chuck leaned forward on his staff and watched the Steward. “He’s good for this Keep.”
Robert continued to stare over the valley. “I agree.”
Elder Altorin was tending to Lady Tamorah, a grateful Dax assisting, while Elder Gaidred bandaged those in dire need. Til-Thorin had sustained heavy losses. More than half its soldiers were dead. At least two-thirds of the volunteers had either joined them or were heavily wounded.
“Watch yer back, pup,” grumbled Animal from below.
Though visually tired and scarred, the freemen seemed undaunted.
“Leaving so soon?” King Robert asked.
Animal grinned, which looked unnatural on his chiseled, weathered face. “It’s time we do some hunting of our own. The green-skins have other plans, and we aim to discover what they are.” He nodded to Chuck, respectfully. “Old man.”
The wizard returned the nod without comment.
“I’m grateful for the assistance, Animal,” said the King.
The freeman grunted. “It was just payback, nothing more.”
King Robert raised an eyebrow. “You’ll have to tell me about it someday.”
“No, I won’t, but we’ll spread the word. You got problems brewing that you can’t avoid.” Then he added, “We’ll let ourselves out.”
The King watched them leave until the fog hid them from sight. We weren’t what they were after. Then what were they looking for?
“What are you thinking, Robert?” asked Chuck, his own gaze still scanning for signs of Thule’s forces. “Your mind’s as squeaky as a gnome-fashioned clock. What’s up?”
He looked at the wizard, dark rings under his eyes. “They didn’t want me, or to invade Andilain. They were after something specific.” The cracks in the curtain walls and the gap along the courtyard would take days, maybe even weeks to repair. “This wasn’t done by Täuku magic, was it?”
Chuck bit his lip. “I’m afraid not.” He laid a hand on the King’s shoulder. “We’re in this for the long haul, now, you and me…just like we planned.” He gave a little squeeze. “And it’s going to be a rough course to navigate.”
The King nodded and turned back to watch the fields through the fog and smoke. I can’t afford to fail again. Not now.
Wobbling down the stairs, Chuck’s robes were tattered, the hem soaked red and black. He pushed himself forward with a heavy limp. When he caught sight of the gnome, he called out. “Alhannah!”
Alhannah looked up with a stern expression, but her lips started quivering.
“Where’s Wendell?!” he snapped. He caught sight of Lili upon the steps, and his eyes narrowed to slits.
She still gripped the snow in fists, head bowed and unmoving.
Kneeling slowly at Alhannah’s side, the wizard pulled the gnome close and tenderly wrapped his arms around her. “Thank the gods you’re alright,” he whispered, “and I’m sorry I snapped at you, little one. Now, where’s the boy?”
Small arms wrapped around his neck, a pigtail rubbing against his cheek. She wept into the folds of his hood. When he pulled her away, Alhannah’s face was red and puffy. She avoided looking him directly in the eyes. “I’m so sorry, Uncle Chuck. There just wasn’t…” She faltered, blinking rapidly to push down the tears she refused to let fall. I should have been there. I should have protected him, she thought bitterly. The words felt like ashes in her mouth, and the guilt pressed down on her like the weight of the world. “…I’m so sorry.”
Chuck lifted her little chin with an index finger and smiled gently. “Where is he?”
The magical fire had all but died out, consuming every stray crate, box, and supply in the hall. The scorch marks looked like long, black spider legs, stretching down the hallways. Even the stone sagged where Wendell had fallen against the wall or rolled along the ground. The upper torso of the Täuku’s body had melted into the wall, one of Alhannah’s swords still protruding from the skull.
The stench of burned flesh hung heavy in the air, making it near impossible to breathe. Chuck covered his face with a handkerchief, while others breathed through the crook of their elbows. Gaidred and Altorin seemed altogether unaffected.
Alhannah examined the Täuku’s body, then mule-kicked the sorcerer’s torso off the wall. Her sword had withered in the flames, but at least it had dispatched a real enemy of her people. The burned lower extremities of the mägo snapped off like a dry twig.
The hallway was a sea of ash, centered around the blackened remains of Wendell’s skeleton. His body lay in the middle of the floor, in a crawling position. Even the mägoweave jeans and sneakers had turned to ash under the power of the magic fire. The rest of his exposed body was nothing more than charred skeletal remains.
Dax pushed past the wizard and Elders. He dropped to his knees by Wendell’s side. “No, no, no!” he wailed. Large hands reached out, hovering over the body. “This…isn’t possible.” He looked up at Chuck, then to the Elders. “THIS CAN’T BE!”
The wizard stood motionless.
Gaidred and Altorin immediately knelt at Wendell’s head and feet. Gaidred began whispering the Iskari prayer, Altorin bowed his head.
“How could Ithari choose him, just to let him die?” cried Dax, gritting his teeth. His expression morphed to sheer anger. “SHE CHOSE HIM!”
“She’s not all-powerful, my boy,” Chuck said remorsefully. “As hard as it is to believe, Ithari has limitations.”
“Chuck!” called King Robert from down the hall. “You’ll want to see this.”
The King was standing in the cell where Wendell had been locked up. Straw and dirt had been pulled away frantically from the corner of the cell. The wizard sighed heavily as he knelt and picked up fragments of the figurine. The body was snapped in half, the base of the sculpture shattered into pieces. Fragments of a clay disc lay among the remains.
“Joram said the guards had placed Wendell in here for safekeeping.” Robert knelt down. “Said he’d gone berserk in the chapel.” He picked up the tiny female head and studied it. “Looks like he found a secret compartment.”
Bony fingers traced the symbols of magic upon a fragment. Chuck smiled, then let it fall from his grasp. It shattered like glass upon the ground.
“Fooled you,” he whispered.
The King frowned. “You know what this means?”
Chuck brushed off his robes. “It means we have to find those last two seals before Thule does.”
They walked back to Wendell. The Iskari were still praying, while Dax sat fixated on the charred remains.
King Robert studied the scene for several minutes, then purposefully stepped on one of the charred Täuku tentacles. “There’s a traitor in Til-Thorin.”
Chuck glanced between the bodies. “How so?”
“There’s no way this creature could have gotten in here without help.”
The wizard knelt down and used his staff to knock around the Täuku’s neck, then chipped away at the folds of its robes. “I don’t think it needed help getting in, Bobby boy,” he said, then, “Ah, here it is.” He pulled a silver ring with weaving bands from one of its charred fingers. It was silver, with a center stone, which looked like an eye. Yellow with a red pupil. Chuck handed it to the King. “That is how he got in.”
“What is it?” Robert asked, examining it.
“A Shade Ring. Powerful magic, those things… and it’s a Täuku specialty.” Chuck stood up and walked back to Wendell’s body. “It shifts your perception, so you can move unnoticed by those around you. It won’t make you invisible… but you won’t be seen unless you call undue attention to yourself. Like becoming a piece of furniture in a room. You know it’s there, but it’s unimportant, so you don’t focus on it. The sorcerer didn’t need help getting in—not with us so aptly distracted.” He looked at the King sternly. “But I believe you’re right… about the traitor. Someone knew the fake seal was here.”
The king frowned. "Fake? …and are we talking about…"
Chuck nodded. "Demoni Vankil. Three seals stand between us and releasing Mr. Dark and Creepy back into the world." His voice turned grim. "The last hero planted this decoy years ago to buy us time. We always knew it wouldn’t last forever, but… I didn’t think we’d run out of time this soon."
Gaidred finished the prayer, opened his eyes, and nodded to Altorin. They grasped Wendell’s hands and wrists.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Dax yelled, “Leave him alone!” He grabbed Gaidred’s forearm forcefully.
“Dax, I understand your plight, but we must return Ithari to Sanctuary—quickly.” With a gentle touch, the Elder removed Dax’s hand. “We may still have time for Ithari to choose a replacement.”
As they rotated the body over, the Ithari sparkled in the center of Wendell’s chest, unblemished.
Gaidred placed his hand over the diamond. “Kotiin meille,” he whispered.
There was an intense flash of blinding light, and both Elders flew backward. Altorin’s body slid down the hallway, while Gaidred slammed against a nearby wall.
King Robert rushed to Altorin’s side and checked his pulse.
“He’s out cold.”
“Same here,” answered Dax, hovering over Gaidred.
Chuck bunched up his robes and knelt beside Wendell. Leaning over the body, he gingerly lifted an arm and studied it.
“Well, aren’t you a clever girl,” he laughed.
Rolling back his sleeves, Chuck pulled off his hat and reached in. Tinkling glass sounded. “Robert, I need a fresh fire made in the hearth upstairs. Burn three logs of oak and one of maple. Bring me three cups of the ash and one gallon of fresh spring water from the well. Do it now and do it quickly… we haven’t much time!”
Dax looked at the wizard hopefully. “What can I do?”
The smile vanished from Chuck’s face. His brows rolled forward in a storm of their own, overshadowing his eyes.
“Bring me Lili.”
No one spoke a word as Chuck measured and mixed the various liquids from his vials. Placing the deep wooden bowl in front of him, the wizard poured the ash into the water and then added the sparkling liquid from his vial. Smoke puffed above the rim of the bowl, dispersing into the air.
“So he’s not dead?” asked Alhannah eagerly.
“No, my dear, Wendell is not dead,” answered Chuck, swirling the container. “That brilliant gem couldn’t stop him from burning, unfortunately. Poor boy—must have been painful beyond imagining, but they haven’t made a strong enough connection yet. Ithari was unable to use their full potential to protect him.”
Holding the bowl out over Wendell’s body, he slowly poured the liquid over the charred corpse.
“He might have survived, had he been wearing his full mägoweave, but I’m guessing she protected the little intelligences that make up our young friend, somewhere… inside herself.”
Alhannah frowned, confused. “Intelligences?”
Chuck wriggled his nose. “Itsy-bitsy stuff that makes up everything around us. You, me, this castle, pancakes…all of it.”
“So what exactly are you doing then?” Dax asked, wrinkling his nose at the stench.
A thick steam rose from the body as Chuck poured. He smiled in triumph as gasps erupted from everyone… including both Elders.
Wendell’s skeleton relaxed.
Joints released their lock on his limbs, straightening out upon the ground until Wendell was lying flat upon his back.
Chuck’s smile grew. “I’m just giving Ithari some building blocks to work with.”
They all stared in awe as Wendell’s chest cavity filled in and expanded. His muscles thickened as skin knitted over it all. Within minutes, the charred black body had smoothed out and turned a dull grey.
Chuck sat back on the floor and tossed his beard over his lap. Alhannah gripped his shoulder, excited and hopeful.
Patting her hand, he whispered, “This won’t bring him back, my dear. It’s only a bandaid, so to speak.” He smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “And we’ll need more than quick fixes for what’s ahead, won’t we?”
Alhannah nodded.
Wendell’s grey skin slowly turned pink. Eyes inflated in the gaping holes of his skull, and lids reformed to cover them. Wendell’s lips inflated over his teeth. Everyone watched as the hero’s entire body regenerated.
Lili stood off in the hallway and looked away.
“He looks…uhhhh, Uncle Chuck?” gasped the gnome. “I think we should put some clothes on him…before you wake him up.” She blushed and followed Lili’s example, turning away.
Chuck slapped his hands together. “Can’t have your cake and eat it too, my dear.” He sighed, his usual grin dimming just a little. “Though in a perfect world, we’d all be fat bakers with two cakes.”
Dax gripped Wendell’s arm. “He’s got a pulse!”
“Of course he does!” cheered the wizard, “But he’s only half alive.”
Gaidred, shaking his head in disbelief, looked to the wizard. “Half… alive?”
Chuck smirked. “This was the easy part. Ithari has preserved Wendell’s body, but now we need to wake up his mind.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Dax.
Chuck flipped his wide-brim hat up onto his head and pulled a small box from his sleeve. He handed it to Dax. “We’re going to Clockworks City. Now get him dressed.”
Alhannah shook her head. “The law bans outlanders, Uncle Chuck. Especially humans. If you’re caught, you could be executed!”
Chuck patted her on the head and nodded at Wendell’s body. “The only magic that can save that boy now is the darkest type. Only gnomes know it. That psycho-olligee-stuff. You know, brain magic. We need one of those specialists you train in your Universities.”
“What?” Alhannah frowned.
“PhD gnomes. Those smart ones, who know brains. That’s why I need your help, ‘Hannah. You have clout, connections… and enough fame to run interference for us.”
Alhannah looked to Wendell as Dax pulled the mägoweave shirt over his head. He’d asked to be trained. He’d asked for help from her and others around him. Yet without any training, he’d thrown himself in front of certain death, to save someone’s life. Without sword, shield, or knowing how to properly defend himself. He’d sacrificed himself for another.
She nodded. “Done.”
“And you, my dear,” said Chuck, pointing at Lili, “are coming with us.”
“Me?” she squeaked, backing away, “I’m not going to the Gnome homeland! Are you crazy?”
In one fluid whirlwind, Chuck was on his feet. “Oh, that’s so beyond the point.” He grabbed her by the arm and escorted her out of earshot. With all eyes on them, he leaned close to whisper. “You have no idea what you’ve done, child… or how many millions of lives you have placed in jeopardy.”
Lili glared back. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she growled, “and I’m not," she pulled her arm free, "going anywhere with you.”
The smile never left Chuck's face. He held up the Shade Ring from the Täuku. “Look familiar?” He snatched her left wrist and compared it to the ring on her middle finger. They looked like yellow eyes staring up at him.
Lili’s eyes burned with anger.
“And we have a winner,” Chuck sighed.
He let Lili’s hand drop and placed the Shade Ring onto his own finger. “That’s fine. If you don’t want to help, I won’t force you to go with us, my dear.” The cool tone of his threat was unmistakable. “I’ll simply make sure Dax escorts you home.”
Lili’s glare immediately faltered. Her expression changed to worry. I didn’t mean for this to happen, she thought, but the guilt gnawed at her.
“You owe that boy your life, Liliolevanumua,” Chuck smiled, her name rolling off his tongue as if he’d spoken it all his life. “I aim to hold you to it.”
Worry changed to fear. “How do you…”
Chuck tapped the tip of his nose. “Do we have an understanding?”
She searched his face for a weakness. Something she could exploit to her advantage. She had been outmatched.
Lili’s head lowered. “We do.”
“Excellent!” Chuck snapped out loud, standing upright. He walked briskly back to Wendell’s body, leaving Lili sulking in the shadows. The yellow smiley face was asleep on Wendell’s chest, small ‘z’s’ floating across the cloth.
Reaching out, Chuck shook Gaidred and Altorin’s hands. “This is where we part ways for a bit, boys. You run on home,” he looked at King Robert, “or better yet—make yourself useful and help Bobby get home and get settled. He could use some almost passable council while I’m gone.”
He pulled King Robert in and hugged him tight. “Keep the faith Bobby-boy, the fight just got interesting.” With a wink and a nod, he turned to Dax and snatched the small box from him.
Dax looked worried, and he fidgeted. He searched desperately for a cigar in his waistband but found nothing.
Chuck placed a gentle hand on the top of his head. “Ready?”
Dax cleared his throat nervously. “I don’t have the strength, Chuck.”
“We all have to find the strength from this point forward.” He gave Dax a full-teeth, genuine smile. “If anyone can find the strength to be extraordinary, my boy…” and he paused, his eyes turning moist, “…it’s you. Wendell needs us.”
For a moment, Dax’s face turned a reddish green. “Right,” he coughed, clearing his throat again. Holding his arms out, Dax stood over Wendell’s body. “Get as close as you can,” he said firmly.
Chuck and Alhannah stepped up next to him. The gnome gave the elf a quick hug.
Dax looked over at Lili.
The girl’s face had gone pale, and she rubbed her arms furiously.
“You comin’ kid?”
She shuffled over timidly and stood next to Alhannah. The gnome reached up and took hold of her hand with a squeeze.
Chuck tapped his staff on the ground heavily, the familiar rhythm calming him as much as it rallied the others. He grinned back at everyone. “Oh, stop with the long faces! We’ve got a dead hero brought back to life, two adorable girls, a vertically-challenged elf, and an exceptionally handsome wizard all heading for possible prison or death! You survived an assault, and now evil’s knocking on our doorstep. Do you know what this means!?”
Chuck let the question hang in the air, his grin widening as he looked around at the others, waiting for someone to catch on.
King Robert looked at the Elders, then back at Chuck, his brow furrowed. “What in the world are you talking about?”
Chuck laughed out loud, the sound echoing off the walls. “It means the Dark Lord’s noticed us. That’s right, we’re doing something right if we’ve got all this attention! It’s definitely a Monday.”
BAMPH!
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Author Notes
I sure hope you enjoyed this first book in the series!
This is THE most exciting first milestone I’ve reached being on substack since I started Life of Fiction. Chronicles of a Hero is the #1 storyline I’ve been trying to tell my whole writing career. Yes, we got to eight novels before, but in a year and a half I’ve made more progress that almost two DECADES up to now.
Incredible.
So what happens now? Rest.
There will be a light lull for a month, as I get my health back under control, and spend time, both sleeping AND resting (yes, actual resting…with a CPAP machine and medications),…and some lovely exercise!
Now to be clear, I am not saying I won’t work. It will be ‘light’ work…so everyone will still get Monday videos with updates, and patrons will receive new fiction weekly. The rest, I’m not going to talk about, but my #1 priority will be my health, so I can stick around for a long time to come =).
Jaime
I forgot to comment.
I love it I think it’s a large improvement from the last book. I love Wendell improving and discovering his magical affinity this much earlier. It feels like we’re getting somewhere. I always felt that the first book before was too short like its only purpose was to set up the story for the rest of the books. Like okay I’ve finished the intro now we can get started.
This is better and ends in a more satisfying spot.
This is great
Well put together
And I’m excited.
Glad you’re taking care of yourself, looking forward to reading more 😊