A Coursing Passage (A Life of Magic Book 3) (2 page)

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The people known in today's world as the Wonders or Travelers are two sides of a people that call themselves the Lost Kingdom. Many years ago these people lived in a remote yet powerful kingdom. This kingdom was full of life and energy. Artists and crafts masters flourished. Soldiers were few and far between. Magic was seen as something used for pleasure and fun. People worked hard yet lived happy lives. They lived this way for many lifetimes, as long as anyone could remember. Then a shadow started to rise in the kingdom. The king failed to protect the kingdom and lived a selfish life. He brought about a harsh rule and enslaved his people. Gone were the days of laughter and creation. People slaved in mines and fields like beasts. This continued as the king died and his son took his throne with the same harshness. Many people died and were lost. The kingdom became as bleak and dark as it had been bright and happy previously.

One day a man entered the kingdom. This man was dressed in bright robes much like the people's ancestors. He sang songs and did magic to entertain the people. He visited the mines and the fields. He talked to the people. He was a shining light of joy in the darkness. The king heard about this man and commanded that he be brought before the court. The king's soldiers searched high and low for the man, yet failed. Punishments were dealt to the soldiers. Mages were called, they also failed and were punished. Eventually the king had all of his lackeys searching for this man. Whispers and rumors grew about where the man was seen, yet the king's men never laid eyes on him. Years passed as the man traveled the kingdom. He started meeting with the elders, those who gently guided the people of the kingdom in each small community. Those who still hoped for the days of their ancestors. Days of light and laughter. Moments of wonder and amazement.
He promised freedom from the line of evil kings, the chance to seek the lifestyle that had been ripped from the kingdom. The people started to hope, to wish. He told them he would free them, that he would set in motion such a change that everything would be different. But he warned them also. They would not only lose their evil king, but their kingdom. They would be forced to leave the kingdom, never to return. The very ground that they worked would become a wasteland and poison everything that touched it. The people grew frightened, they worried about their futures. A moment came, the man called together all the various elders. Those who could make the decisions for their communities. He offered his services. A decision must be made. Keep living in darkness and despair or escape to a life full of laughter and freedom. To live on the land of their ancestors or to live the life of their ancestors. He told them a decision had to be made the next day. If they refused his help or failed to make an offer he would be leaving the kingdom to never return.

The elders deliberated deep into the night. Some were scared, some were excited. Finally they asked the man two simple questions. What payment was he demanding for such a service and how was he going to do what he claimed to be able to do?

The man stood before the elders and smiled. He declared that he desired no payment for freeing the people. He only wanted them to keep certain promises if he freed them. To live life to the fullest, to bring laughter and cheer to those they lived among, and to always teach their children to cherish the things in life that brought joy and laughter to it.

The elders were shocked, having expected a large sum of money as the payment.

He then answered their second question. He would destroy the kingdom in one night. He would destroy the very land that it had laid waste. He would bring such a destructive force down upon the kingdom that nothing would be left but burnt ground and the bones of a destroyed kingdom.

The elders became more shocked and cried out in fear. Where were they to go if the kingdom was destroyed?

The man grinned. He explained that the people must flee. That they would take the wagons and packs of their oppressors and leave the kingdom. They would have to seek out new homes and new lands. Or that they could travel the roads the rest of their days, never settling the land again.

The elders argued more and some despaired that the man's offer would never be taken. Finally the sun rose and touched upon the window.

A decision must be made, the man demanded. The time had come.

The oldest elder stood shakingly to his feet. "My time of living is near an end. My life has been hard and I see nothing but my family to show for it. I say that you shall destroy this kingdom. Reduce it to nothing but rubble. We need time to prepare, to flee."

Each elder stood, some hesitantly, some excited and all but one asking for time and the destruction of the kingdom. The last elder stood. A man strong and bold, he rose to his feet.

"I have seen many things and heard many more. The ability to destroy a kingdom does not belong to a man. We will stay and see all of you fools abandon what little lives you have to run away. This man promises nothing but more suffering and I will have no part of it, neither will my people." He walked from the room.

The man stood, "Two weeks is all the time I will give you. Prepare your people in secret. You will have a night to flee. When the moon is dark again you will fill your wagons and packs and leave this kingdom behind. That next day you must avoid all the kingdom's men for the entire day. That night you must be out of the kingdom or suffer the same fate as those bound to the kingdom."

The next two weeks passed as people secretly packed all their belongings. Carts and wagons were built and loaded in secret, hidden from the kingdom's men. Food was prepared and weapons secured for the flight from their homes. During this time more and more sightings of the man occurred, driving the king into a frenzy. He decried the man an enemy of the state and put a reward out for his capture. It was all for naught. Finally the night arrived. The moon darkened again, like it had for all of time. Yet this time it seemed to hide it's face from the people leaving their homes. Families sneaking across the fields and through the forest. Whole communities emptied into the countryside and raced for the kingdom's borders. All but one community. They rested in their beds, secure in their knowledge that they were right.

When the sun arose that next day no workers arrived at the mines or fields. When sought out by the king's men no one was found in the homes. Homes were stripped down to bare buildings, furniture had been used to make more carts so the rooms stood bare. As the news became known the king's men raced through the communities trying to find anybody still there. Occasionally some souls were found, those who had refused to leave their homes. Few had stayed, yet they also refused to betray those who had run ahead of the king's men.

Messengers started to arrive from all over the kingdom, bringing the news that the people had abandoned their homes. That the villages were empty of all life. The king was brought to an anger beyond anything he had ever known. He was furious that his people, his slaves had dared to leave, to seek freedom. He ordered his men to scour the countrysides for the people. He ordered them to find the man who had caused this mass exodus.

At that very moment the man walked into the court, his beautiful robes flowing around him like a flower. He walked right up to the king and stopped. The court was shocked at the brazen man. The king ordered the man seized. The solders tried yet failed. He escaped every effort with ease. Finally he stood alone before the king, as he had killed all who tried to capture him.

"I come for your kingdom. You will not last the day. You have till dark to try to escape your fate." The man turned around and walked over the bodies laid to waste.

The king stood still and watched the man walk out. He then rushed to the stables and saddled the fastest horse. He grabbed no water, no food, nor clothes. He raced for the border, knowing that he faced an enemy who would destroy him. His only option was to escape.

When the sun set the king was in sight of the border, mere moments from escaping. Suddenly a bright flash occurred on the road and the man appeared. The horse reared and threw the king to the dirt. He looked up and tears ran down his face. He knew he faced his destruction.

The man walked forward and placed his hand upon the king's forehead. "Even after all this you still do not realize who I am. I am the son that your father denied every siring. My mother was a slave who could not refuse the king. He cast her aside and she escaped from his power. I was born of royal blood yet lived a paupers life until I learned I had magic. My father took everything from my mother. Her family, her home, even her life as she died from giving birth to me. I learned what kind of man my father was and decided to seek my revenge upon him. But he died before I could kill him. I hoped his other son would be a better man, yet you are worse than anything your father could have imagined. I came to avenge my mother, yet I learned that I was meant to free this kingdom and also you my brother." The man started to glow. "This land will die. I am going to kill it. Not a single stone will stand upon another. Not a single plant will flourish for generations. And I am destroying the very people whom followed your orders, those who carried out your commands in ways that even you do not yet understand. You, however, will not die. Neither will you live. I am going to make you an example to all other rulers. If they rule like you and your family did then they can also be destroyed."

The man's magic wrapped around the king and transformed him. His body twisted and grew. His limbs stretched towards the sky and his feet sank into the ground. His body transformed into a massive gray tree, growing up in the road. The tree stood taller than any building and swayed in the breeze.

"No ax nor fire may destroy you. You shall live rooted to this spot, only passing away when all the descendents of those you oppressed have forgotten your very existence. When they no longer tell tales of the evil king will you finally die. You shall serve as a warning and a reminder."

The man turned and faced into the kingdom, "All of those who have fled have escaped. It is time." His magic flowed out of his body and deep into the ground. The magic rolled through the ground, rocks tumbling and the very mountains shaking to their cores. The man worked all through the night, forcing his magic and will into the ground of the kingdom. Buildings tumbled and fell, leaving no structure standing throughout the kingdom. The very soil changed and plants died until the only growing thing in the kingdom was the tree of the king. The kingdom was destroyed and the mage had fulfilled his promise. He turned to the tree, which shook in anger.

"I am no better than you my brother. I have just destroyed an entire kingdom. People died. Animals were destroyed. The very land will never bring forth plants. I have utterly destroyed everything my father controlled." He smiled sadly, "However, I also freed my people. They will once more sing around the fire, dance in the squares, and teach their children to laugh. So maybe I am redeemed." He laid down and cast one last spell. His body collapsed and started to transform. Another large tree grew up beside the tree of the king. Where the tree of the king was gray and dark this tree was bright and beautiful. The bark was a rich mix of browns, the leaves were all the colors of nature, and the tree stretched towards the sky. It gently swayed in the breeze.

Both trees stand looking out over the wasteland that was once a kingdom. Lost to all who once lived there and who would ever desire to live there. They still stand there today, one a dark, dour tree. The other a tree full of life and color. I have seen them with my own eyes.

The people escaped that night. They crossed fields and rivers. Finding themselves outside the kingdom they looked back and watched a kingdom be destroyed, a land die. The were left with a decision. What must they do to survive, to hold true to what the mage had asked of them. Some wanted to settle down, to build homes and plant gardens. Others felt that since they had lost their home they would never live within one again. The two groups split families and communities, but they loved one another. The elders developed a solution. The people would stay as one group, the Lost Kingdom. However, they would be made up of two distinct groups. These groups would be defined by their lifestyle. One group would build and maintain campgrounds, inns, and taverns. These places would provide homes and communities for those who desired such things. The other group would wander, never building nor developing homes. They would live on the road, among the hedges and fields. They would visit the campgrounds, inns, and taverns of their families. So the two groups were born. Yet both groups go through changes. The group that had homes occasionally needed to leave, to explore, or to visit their family and friends on the road. Those on the road grew tired of the wagons and packs. They desired gardens. So both groups are fluid, ever changing in who is on the road. Those who live on the road most times are called the Wanders. They are the ones who live in wagons and tents. Those who live off the road in houses, yet travel occasionally are called the Travelers.

And to this day they live happy lives, full of laughter, dance, and joy.

***

By the time Stain had finished his explanation my stomach was starting to let me know that it was time for food. "Could we stop for lunch?" I asked Stain.

He grinned and nodded towards a place on the side of the path. "That is a fine idea. I feel like I could eat something also." We all found a place to rest for a few moments and pulled out traveling food. For a few moments the only sounds nearby were us eating and drinking.