38. Past, Present, and Future

Trust yourself. You will then be able to see.

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: Deloris, Dax and Lili journey through Wendell’s mind, and they find our hero…but not in a form they were expecting. When the mission seems to be complete, the three visitors were rejected from Wendell’s mind…leaving our hero to an unknown fate.

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Be grateful for moments of ignorance.

The Universe places a veil over our minds for a wise purpose.

If we could see all the challenges planned for us, in one panoramic view, we’d likely die of fright.

…or run for the hills, never to return.

“What happened?!” Deloris rolled off the table, yanking at the cords and tape. Her legs still felt weak from the sedative. Grabbing the side railings of the beds, she worked her way to Nathan’s side.

He was already working frantically on Wendell.

Tapping the end of a syringe filled with yellow liquid, Nathan pushed the air bubbles out of the contents, then stabbed the needle into Wendell’s neck. “I-I don’t understand what happened,” he said, “…his heart just…stopped!”

Deloris checked Wendell’s eyes, then started CPR. “Defibrillator — NOW!”

Chuck paced back and forth just behind the working gnomes, his eyes never leaving Wendell. He blinked rapidly, gnawing on his bottom lip, hands gripping and twisting the sleeves of his robes.

Alhannah helped Dax and Lili sit up.

“What’s going on?” Dax said, still groggy. “Why did we wake up?”

No one answered. Monitors beeped resentfully around Wendell.

Dax noticed the wizard pacing and frowned. “Why isn’t the kid awake?”

Alhannah gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “We don’t know what’s going on yet. Wendell stopped breathing, then his heart stopped.”

Yanking the cords from his chest and face, Dax tried to get to his feet. “No. No — this can’t be right. He was just fine a second ago!”

“Cryo!” Nat yelled, “Brain activity?”

“I do not detect any brain activity in the Gnolaum, Nat. I am sorry.”

“No,” Chuck whispered, shaking his head.

“Do something, Chuck!” Dax cried out. “Ya gotta help him. I’m telling ya, he was just fine when we were in there. Something ain’t right!”

Deloris and Nat continued CPR, pounding the rhythm of life on Wendell’s chest.

There was no response.

Wendell didn’t move.

Morty blinked the tears from his eyes. “I’m so sorry, Chuck.”

“No,” the wizard repeated. He looked about, eyes not focusing on anything in particular. “This is impossible. I did everything I was asked to do.” He took in a sharp breath, held it for several seconds, and let it out in a rush as he turned. He glanced down at Alhannah, a bewildered look in his eyes. “I followed all instructions.”

“Of course you did,” she replied softly. She reached out and gave his hand a loving squeeze.

“CLEAR!” Nat shouted. Rubbing the two heavy plastic paddles together, Deloris stepped back from the table.

Wendell’s body flinched as electricity from the paddles surged through flesh.

Huh.

I thought the afterlife would be…different.

I felt like me.

Stupid observation…maybe. But my hands still looked pink and ‘fleshy’…and I was wearing my jeans, the smiley shirt, and even my sneakers.

I’m pretty sure someone told me you come into life naked, and that you’d go out the same way.

I think it was my grandma who said it.

Then again, she was also bat crap crazy.

I mean, I love her and all, but this was the same woman who always told me I’d find my missing…whatever…in the last place I’d look.

Well, duh.

The good news was, I wasn’t in any pain.

For the record…burning was not my death of choice.

The field was gone now, and so were my friends.

For some strange reason, I was standing in the backyard of my parent’s home. Lush green grass covered most of the yard, and it looked even. Huh. I’d probably mowed it recently. It had a six foot wooden fence around the perimeter. I believe it was just under an acre. Occasional clusters of weeds stuck up along the base of the fence, because I didn’t do that job recently…or often. Our family garden, which we hadn’t done in a couple years, was sectioned off in the back right corner. The tomatoes looked amazing. Even the bantam chickens looked happy in their pen.

None of it was real, though.

The treehouse I loved to play in was hovering over me, built in the cherry tree that refused to provide any fruit. It was mine and Evan’s favorite place to hang out, play checkers, and eat mom’s sweet bread. If we were lucky, dad would let us spend the night up here…and we’d read the latest Hardy Boys book from the library.

The treehouse shouldn’t exist.

When I was ten, I’d tried making a fire to roast marshmallows while Evan read ‘Night of the Werewolf’.

I’d used a #10 can as a fire pit.

Mom had to call the fire department.

Burned the whole tree down.

The other reason I knew this wasn’t real, though, was more obvious. A giant diamond the size of a semi truck was wedged between the chicken pen and the garden. Thing was floating three feet above the ground, held in place by dozes of metal chains, each anchored to the ground.

The Ithari.

That being said, I figured I’d go out on a limb (no pun intended)…and guess that I’m not actually dead.

Relax your mind.

Relax my mind? How the heck do you relax your mind?

Trust yourself. You will then be able to see.

At first I thought it was the Ithari, but I’d heard her voice. I knew her presence, and this wasn’t it. There was always a ‘pulsing’ through my veins when she communicated with me. An energy that’s hard to describe, but I felt stronger and more hope when she communicated with me. Like I was in more control with her help.

This didn’t have the same power.

The words didn’t connect with my ears so much as with my skin. I felt it. All around me.

“Hello?” I called. “You can come out. It’s been a long day and it kinda ended on a low note…so I’m not really in the mood for surprises.”

No answer.

Not that that surprised me. Not at this point, anyway. Dragons, wizards….sorry, ‘mägo’,…gnomes, elves, dwarves, vallen, magic, blue people?

Bring it.

Trust myself, huh? Okay.

Staring at the chains, I focused. At first, nothing happened. At least not anything I could tell. The oversized links hung like slabs over the edges of the gem, weighing heavily on the entity that had chosen me.

“She chose me,” I repeated out loud. She chose me instead of waiting for the hero of the bloodline to return.

That’s what never made sense to me. A gawky, awkward kid from Earth, being chosen instead of denying me as a host…and just sending Dax back to round up Evan.

There has to be more to it than that.

“You might as well show yourself,” I said. Stepping away from the tree, I slowly turned in place. “I may not see you, but I can feel your presence. I know you’re here, and you’re not the Ithari.”

“Very good.”

My skin tingled with that voice, and I was instantly aware of every hair on the back of my arms and hands. The words were all around me. They penetrated through flesh and bone…a warmness that trickled through my chest…distilling it at the very core of my heart.

“Very good indeed, Wendell.”

Rising from the center of the Ithari, where the chains overlapped, a face appeared along the surface of the gem. She suddenly blazed with her white light, and I had to shield my eyes.

Then it was gone.

A man stood between us.

We were roughly the same height, but this guy wore flowing white robes, gently blowing in wind that didn’t exist. Large golden symbols glowed brightly along the cuffs, collar, and hem of the cloth.

He walked slowly toward me, the air solid under his feet, until the being stood directly in front of me.

“Are you,” I said, but hesitated.

“Yes,” the man said smoothly.

Not sure what I looked like at that moment, but I couldn’t help but grin.

I’d wondered, since first being drafted on this adventure, what it would be like to meet an actual Hero from the past. An actual host. Someone who would know and understand how the Ithari worked. How to make a connection and, most importantly, how to make sense of the chaotic experiences since I’d arrived.

Then again.

“You are not dreaming, Wendell,” said the man. “Which is the belief that got you into this mess in the first place, isn’t it?” The faint outline of a smile appeared on the man’s face. “You are here now, as am I…through the Ithari.”

“So you’re…”

“Here to turn the mantle over to you.”

My stomach dropped. Even in death, I couldn’t escape the drafting process of this job.

The Hero chuckled. “You already figured out that you’re not dead,” but he paused. “Not yet, anyway.”

I bit my lip and stared up at the hero.

He nodded.

“But I’m not the Hero.”

The smile vanished. “No, you’re not.”

I shook my head, hands clawing at my temples. “This is…all wrong. You know this isn’t the way it was supposed to be, right?”

“Yes.”

My stomach lurched, memories I didn’t want growing in the back of my mind. “I…I tried,” I whispered to myself. Then louder, “Really I did.”

His expression softened. “I know, Wendell.”

“Then…why not let me go?” I pleaded.

“Because you can be the Hero.”

The words seemed to knock me back, and I stumbled. “No. You’re wrong. People have already suffered because of me.” Painful memories resurfaced. Screaming in the village, Hiram being pierced by an arrow that was meant for me. “People have…died, because of me.”

The being matched my movements, staying within arm’s length. The light around his countenance softened his features. His hair hung to his collarbone, a thick gray beard ending at mid-chest. He had broad shoulders, but he wasn’t overly muscular. Overall, he looked rugged, tempered by life experience…especially with the patch over his right eye.

“They died despite you,” he said, “…not because of you, Wendell. There is a substantial difference.”

Something about him held me firm. My feet ceased retreating and the fear in my stomach subsided as the man spoke. The man’s words replaced my dread and doubt with peace. It was odd. A tingling sensation, starting from the base of my spine, worked its way to the back of my neck and into my skull.

Questions flooded my mind.

“Yes,” the last Hero smiled, “you can ask. I will answer if I can.”

This was likely the greatest opportunity I’d have to get the information I needed…and wanted.

But I found myself confused and conflicted.

What should I start with? I needed to know about the Ithari…and about Mahan…maybe even that guy. What’s his name? Thule. Where am I supposed to go? What am I supposed to do…even if I have the powers of the gem? Then there’s the letter, which seems to change. I could always ask about that. Good grief! What are the powers of the gem? What should I prioritize in my learning? Can I…

“Which would you like me to answer first?”

I blinked. “Would you…not do that, please? I’d actually like to ask a question before you answer it.”

“Sorry.”

“Let’s start at the beginning.”

The Hero nodded.

“You’re the last Hero?”

“Yes.”

“So you know about the Ithari and understand her?”

“Intimately.”

I looked over his shoulder. “Why does she have chains around her?”

“You put them there.”

I frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Those are chains of your own making, Wendell.”

“That…doesn’t make sense.”

The Hero chuckled. “Doesn’t it? Chains of doubt, disbelief, and ignorance? How about anger and confusion? Arrogance, pride, and especially fear.”

“That’s a lot of chains,” I said.

He grinned widely. “You’ve been busy.”

Something was tugging at my chest. She was the key. I looked up to meet the Hero’s gaze. “In your letter, you said that the powers of Ithari would grow.”

“Your abilities grow in proportion to your relationship with her. The more you learn to work as one, the more powerful you become. It’s a unique and beautiful marriage. She compliments your strengths and bears with your weaknesses until you learn to overcome them…as she has done for every Hero before us.”

“How do I…,” but I clamped my mouth shut. I was too nervous to ask what I already knew.

“You must learn through time and experiences.”

I grit my teeth.

The Hero laughed. “No, there’s nothing I can do. This is a journey for you to walk alone, Wendell. Choices you’re going to have to make. Consequences you will have to endure.”

“I said I wanted to ask the questions.”

“Habit,” he said, “Forgive me.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind, there was a measure of peace when I thought I might be dead. I wouldn’t have to make any more mistakes or live up to the crazy expectations of others. But this was just the beginning. The burning village, death, violence…it was all just starting.

The Hero watched me for a long moment in silence. Stared at me patiently as my face contorted. It was impossible not to weigh and consider the consequences of possible futures. I had been asked to become something I never thought I could be. To do things that only weeks ago were, quite literally, impossible.

I was now expected to be the last defense against the literal embodiment of evil!

My head dropped forward with a heavy sigh.

“This really sucks,” I choked.

A hand reached out and gripped my shoulder. “Why don’t you ask the real question?”

I looked away.

“It’s alright to be afraid, Wendell. We all experience fear at one time or another. Fear isn’t bad. It has its uses. It’s what we do with that fear that matters.”

No. I didn’t want to know.

The Hero cocked his head to the side, watching me intently. I could see his eyes narrow in my peripheral vision.

“Oh, alright,” I muttered, irritated. “I DO want to know…but I don’t want to know.”

The Hero smiled.

“Why me?” I blurted out, exasperated. “Of all the people that could have been chosen—the people in THIS world that could have been chosen…why me?”

The Hero stepped directly in front of me.

Thick, dark brows rolled forward as powerful hands gripped my shoulders. “Because you are more than you think you are.”

I couldn’t look away.

I’d lost all desire to run and hide. This man emanated duty, honor, and power…and I wanted to surrender myself to that power.

To that mantle he held.

The Hero smiled then.

“You are exactly what this world needs, Wendell. No matter what others will say, listen now to a fellow host.” He released his grip, and I suddenly felt weak. “Too often, people convince themselves they are ‘enough’…but that’s a half-truth. One that keeps them from greatness. You are enough…for now. But you are meant to be more. We all are.”

He smiled then, in such a way that the very sun over our heads seemed to burn brighter.

“It is an invitation to grow that most never accept.”

With a thick finger, the Hero tapped the Ithari under my mägoweave.

“You have talents and abilities you’ve yet to discover, young man. If, and I do mean IF…you can believe that, accept it for face value,…you will become exactly what you were meant to be.”

I flinched and clamped my eyes shut. I couldn’t help myself. These were alien words. They were the opposite I’d been told his entire life, other than from my own parents.

“…and they were right,” the Hero whispered. “More right than you can imagine.”

Something in me…snapped.

All my frustration and anger bubbled to the surface.

“How can you say that?” I shouted, the Ithari pulsing in unison with my passion and anger. “You don’t know me at all! You’re dead!”

The Hero drew back calmly, folding his hands into the sleeves of his robe. “I can say it, Wendell, because mine is the power of past, present, and future. It was my calling to step out of time, just this once, to speak with you directly.”

A pain shot through my head. My palms slapped against my temples, pushing.

“No,” I said, “I was a mistake. I’ve always been a mistake. I’m no one important. I’ve never been anyone important! This is wrong. ALL WRONG!”

My mind and heart burned hot. I could feel strings of lava pushing through my veins,…a power leaping beyond its bounds, consuming memories and rational emotions in its path.

THA-THUMP-THUMP!

THA-THUMP-THUMP!

THA-THUMP-THUMP!

My eyes popped wide open. “What did you just say?”

The Hero grinned widely, baring his teeth.

“I am not dead.”

“CLEAR!” Deloris yelled, jolting Wendell’s body with another charge. She looked desperately at the monitors.

Nat reached out and grabbed her arm. “Deloris, stop. It’s over.”

“NO!” she yelled, slapping his hand away.

Everyone was staring at her now, though no one stopped her. It wasn’t until Morty walked over and put his hand over hers that she broke down.

Dropping the paddles to the floor, her head fell against Wendell’s chest. “This can’t happen.” She looked up at Morty. “He’s the Gnolaum.”

“You did all you could, my love,” he whispered.

Tears fell. “Call it, Nathan,” she choked.

“Let it be recorded that the Gnolaum flatlined at 25 chimes, two ticks.”

Lili let out a sob as Alhannah led her away from the body.

“Noted,” said Cryo, “and logged. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Nat shook his head.

“Then I shall retire.” The blue apparition turned to the wizard. “My deepest condolences, Morphiophelius.” And with that, the light from the camera switched off.

Dax and Chuck stood motionless on the other side of the bed.

“What do we do now?” Dax asked.

Chuck swallowed hard, his dry throat causing him to cough. “I don’t know, monkey.”

Dax chuckled half-heatedly. “Come on, old man, ya always got something up yer sleeve.”

The wizard pulled the wide rimmed hat from his head and blinked the tears from his eyes. When he looked down at the elf, his face was long and solemn. “Not this time.”

The heat intensified.

I fought to breathe, but the fire in my chest threatened to consume me.

“What do you mean, you’re not dead?” My eyes twitched and for a moment, and everything fell out of focus. Another sharp pain stabbed at the back of my head.

I stumbled forward.

The Hero caught me by the arm. “We don’t have much time left, Wendell.”

“What…are you talking about?” I slurred.

“The strain of this meeting is too much for Ithari to endure. Even she has her limits.”

I reached out, grasping at air. Beads of sweat rolled across my brow, collected on my lips. Thin fingers of fire scraped up from my chest and into my throat.

“I’m here because you made a choice, Wendell. It was the right choice. But you need to know how important you truly are.” Grabbing the back of my neck, the Hero raised my head to meet his gaze. “Stay with me, Wendell. That’s it. Look at me.”

“I’m good,” I murmured.

The Hero’s expression softened. “You think that this entire problem could have been solved if Dax just went back to get Evan? That’s not true. It’s not that simple. Life never is. Timing and choice are everything, Wendell. Do you hear me? Everything.” He bounced my head a little to get me to refocus. “Countless choices were made and aligned when you accepted the Ithari. Everything changed.”

“Great,” I slurred, “it’s all my fault.”

“I’ve seen the end of times, Wendell. I’ve witnessed all that becomes of this world, should you succeed. You need to see it. You need to know, because it will not happen without you.”

My eyes fluttered and closed. I could still hear the Hero’s voice, but my head fell back.

My body went limp.

The last sensations I had were being dragged, and then placed flat on the ground. I could feel the Ithari near, then the voice of the Hero at my side. “I’m sorry it has to be this way, but this gift — to know — comes with a price. I must show you the good and the bad. The glory and the pain. You must understand, Wendell — so when the darkness comes, you have hope to draw from. You need to succeed when all else fails you.”

As the final darkness closed in on me, all I could hear was the Hero’s voice.

Deep, soft, soothing.

“Remember this ‘key’, Wendell. No matter what happens, regardless of what people say and do…keep your heart soft. Never be afraid to do good, because it is good. The rest is just practice.”

There was a long pause.

The fire rolled up and over my body, clawing at me from under my own skin.

“Never give up,” he whispered in my ear. “Don’t give up. No matter what.”

He was crying.

“And I’m sorry,” he choked. “I’m so sorry.”

A single finger touched my forehead.

…and I screamed.

“AHHHHHH!” I shrieked, hands clawing at my sides.

“AHHHHHH!” Chuck repeated, falling backwards, knocking the monitors, instrument trays, and the defibrillator over with a crash and a bang.

Dax jumped to my side. “WENDELL!”

My body shook violently, eyes feeling as if they were being pushed from their sockets. My mouth was wide open…but I couldn’t get any air!

“DELORIS! NAT! GET IN HERE!!” Dax yelled. “Hang on, kid,” he said softer. “It’s gonna be ok now. I’ve got ya.”

In a strange wave, the pressure left me.

Imagine being smothered by a thick layer of Saran Wrap and then having it pulled from you. The air was cold, crisp and so very welcome to my lungs.

I gasped and turned my head to find the smiling green face of my guardian.

“No,” I gasped, “…it’s not gonna be okay.”

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Author Notes

This is the time when, in the previously released book containing this chapter, readers had questions.

I got emails, I received texts and private messages, In-Yer-Facebook DMs….all with questions about Wendell’s conversation with the last Hero of the gem.

So I’ll leave a note here, with the same answer I’ve given for years and years and years.

…I’m not telling.

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