Child of Time (9 page)

Kiyan was recalled to the present by Jeremy’s
exclamations of awe over Corban’s aerobatics. The air bender was
flying circles around Ray. Observing Corban he felt the air as
Corban bent it to his will, how it supported him and obeyed him.
Kiyan was so fascinated by what he was able to learn of airbending
from observing Corban that he didn't even notice Fred and Addy’s
arrival.

When they reached the glow woods, Addy began spinning
a net in the tree. Corban twisted the air and settled down lightly
on a limb. Kiyan noticed Corban's hands begin glowing with a white
light before he put his hands on the tree. The branch began growing
and reinforcing Addy’s net.

“Your hands, they were glowing, how did you do that?”
Fred asked inquisitively.

Corban stepped back and almost fell out of the tree,
making a mental note about growing some railing he answered. “Only
life mages can see life energy. You should be too young to be able
to sense it. What color was it?” He had to be sure, if Fred had
seen something else maybe some of his firebending perhaps, instead
of life bending. Corban didn’t recall having fire bent but it was a
more likely explanation.

“It was white.” Kiyan answered.

“I didn't see anything” Jeremy said.

The weight of his assignment began to dawn on Corban.
This was indeed no ordinary job. Two life mages at the age of
twelve. Observing Jeremy informed him that there was nothing
ordinary about the third boy in his charge either. Corban couldn't
remember ever having seen a young waterbender glowing with so much
energy. Strangely Kiyan was nearly invisible. Traces of color
appeared before melting away. It was almost as if Kiyan had not yet
developed an elemental affinity. Even more strange was that Corban
recognized the traces of color to belong to several if not all of
the basic elements. Fred glowed a deep shade of green. This was
going to be some adventure.

Corban had time to collect his thoughts as he
followed the boys on their cave adventure. He was only slightly
surprised when the group met Draxos in the cave.

That night Kiyan couldn't get to sleep and decided to
watch the stars. Getting out of his hammock and quietly going to
the edge of the platform he paused when he saw someone there
already. Going ahead and sitting down next to Addy, Kiyan looked up
at the sky enjoying the silence and thinking all that had happened.
Hearing some rustling Kiyan looked up in time to see Fred sit next
to him.

“Addy told me what you did, Kiyan how did you know
she wanted to bond with me?” Fred whispered quietly.

“I saw it happen before. You almost drowned, I
couldn't let that happen again.” Kiyan didn't want to have to keep
secrets from his friends, especially one with whom he had so much
in common.

“What do you mean you saw it happen before? You mean
in a dream right, like a seer?” Fred was only trying to make sense
of what he was hearing.

“No I have lived today twice, apparently I'm the son
of an ascendant and have the ability to travel in my own time
line.” Kiyan said quietly.

“The thoran in the cave said something about friends
of Kendra, who is that?” Fred almost seemed to be thinking
aloud.

“I think she is my mother. She was the ascendant that
helped you earthbend yesterday.” Kiyan explained putting words to
his suspicions.

“Wow, she was nice. I'm glad for you.” Fred seemed
genuinely happy. I’m glad that you were able to finally find out
who your real parents are. Anything else you want to tell us?”

“I'm a telepath and I can bend all the elements, I
think that covers it.” Kiyan confessed.

“Not surprised. Not one bit. After all you are the
child of an ascended.” Fred laughed.

Kiyan remembered how Corban's hands had glowed when
he had life bent and then remembered the night the last time he had
lived this day. He opened his mind and connected with Fred, asking
permission.

With a little gasp Fred whispered. “I didn't believe
you when you said you were telepathic.”

Closing his eyes Kiyan reached out and felt for the
energy around him letting it appear in his mind's eye. Soon he
could see the light emanating from the plants and animals around
him. There was a forest of light in front of them. Focusing on any
part of it felt like it got closer until they could feel every
detail. “Incredible,” Kiyan felt Fred whisper. Looking up at the
sky Kiyan saw the stars in a new light. There seemed to be an
infinite number of them, they could see through the nebula and feel
the millions upon millions of burning spheres. Kiyan felt something
new that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Pulling their minds
back in Kiyan stopped when he saw Kendra floating in the air in
front of them.

“I will explain later, I am sorry if I made you feel
uncomfortable in any way. Both of you should get some rest now.”
Kendra glowed with energy to Kiyan’s second sight. Opening his eyes
Kiyan broke the connection.

“So that is what life bending is like?” Fred
asked.

“I think so Frederic.” Kiyan laughed. Fred scowled at
the use of his full name.

“If your mom wasn't here I would punch you right
now.” Fred whispered with a mischievous tone.

Chapter Five: Learning

Merlin woke to the crackle of a fire in the hearth.
Morning had come again. Sleep was unnecessary for his kind but he
needed to appear human in order to fulfill his mission. Spending a
portion of each day in a trance like state was necessary to
perpetuate the illusion. He would happily have spent the night in
the city playing the Good Samaritan. Simple things made life in the
middle ages bearable. Something like leaving food on the doorstep
of a widow or the healing of the blacksmith’s daughter. A mishap in
the forge had left her face in shambles. Her joy on waking and
finding all traces of the horrific scar gone had been reward
enough.

Someone had seen him appear and leave a bundle of
medicine once and the whole city had been in an uproar. The church
maintained a demon was loose in the city and it was the fault of
the court wizard unleashing demons. He smiled as he remembered how
the church had tried and found some poor woman guilty. That part
had enraged him. The way he had implicated the priest in charge of
the inquisition for masquerading as the devil in the night had been
most gratifying. The woman had been released and given a farm for
her trouble after Merlin insisted. What a benighted people, Merlin
thought, to think the devil was tempting people to sin by leaving
money and food on the doorsteps of the worthy ones. Even if he did
try to help now no one would take it. The best he could do was scan
the city and heal the innocents struck down with illness. Not a
complete waste of time to be sure.

Merlin's mission was not to heal the sick, that was a
hobby so to say. The mission was to prevent the kingdom from
falling into the hands of other nations. Most of those possible
futures led to a shift in power later that made a German the first
person on the Americas and the roman colony of new Rome the first
of the American colonies. The more cataclysmic changes occurred
later after world war three when the cold war started. The United
Provinces of Mexico had pushed the button ensuring mutual
destruction first. All that was left was a radioactive sphere when
the last bomb exploded.

It had all started in king Arthur's court. He well
remembered the day he warped into this time. He had accidentally
done it in the middle of a Knight’s camp. He had let the noble and
brave Knights of the Round Table capture him. He laughed when he
remembered how in the next day King Uther had decided to burn the
sorcerer whom the knights claimed had turned a whole village into
swine. Only with sir Briant's sword at his throat had the evil man
turned them back into christian people. How mercifully none of the
villagers had remembered their degraded situation. Oh he had to
give these knights credit for their imagination. Merlin had laughed
in the face of his executioner. Fire bending ascended were most
difficult to kill in such a manner. It was similar to the futile
exercise of trying to execute a fish by drowning.

After they heaped wood on the fire for three days
Merlin decided to end it before they burnt the whole countryside.
It took a show of controlling the weather to put the fire out and
convince the people that God was on his side and that he was
innocent. Even in the face of this show of might Sir Briant had
found a "witch" and accused her of summoning the storm to save a
fellow devil worshiper. With people like this it was a wonder the
world had not destroyed itself sooner. A well placed lightning bolt
had solved the problem. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on
which side of the coin you look at, the knight's armor had directed
most of the current around his body but he was still maimed and
ostracized for angering God by trying to burn one of his
servants.

Casting his senses out over the city he searched for
something amiss. He had already caught two assassin this year who
intended to end Arthur's life. Arthur was much more intelligent
than his father but he was kept busy with many affairs of state.
Even so there were times when Merlin suspected there was more to
him than he let on. The king seemed to have insight into matters
that almost negated Merlin’s involvement in the course of
history.

This morning Merlin caught the imprint of an alien
mind as the creature darted through the city heading to the palace.
Teleporting into the creature's path, Merlin prepared for the
battle. When it rounded the corner, Merlin recognized a drakken.
The lizard creature carried two curved blades already covered in
blood. Seeing another human in its path the drakken rushed Merlin.
He easily evaded the blades and sent a fireball into its back.
Spinning on him faster than should be possible the blades cut
through Merlin's jacket and should have cut a human in half.

“Nice thing about being an energy life form.” A few
thousand amps later and all that remained was a pile of ash.
Turning Merlin saw a knight watching with his mouth open. Oh boy
this would probably go into the history books as sir so and so
killed a dragon in hand to hand combat. Noting the mental imprint
of the drakken he returned and set up a scanner set to that neural
frequency. An early warning system should there be any more
incursion. Someone wanted earth dead. Whoever it was had been
sending agents to meddle with events.

-----------

Kiyan woke and listened to the birds sing for a few
minutes before he smelled the food cooking. Looking around camp he
noticed both the other boys stirring as well. Wondering where the
fire was as they were in a tree, Kiyan got up and walked over to
where Corban was sitting.

“Thought this would wake you all,” Corban said with a
smile, “my mother used to make this when we went camping.”

Kiyan looked at the pan and discovered that Corban
was firebending under the pan. The smell of frying potatoes was
soon filling the whole camp and the other boys soon were up.

Closing his eyes, Kiyan let his mind wander taking in
the area. Expanding toward the sky he again felt something was off.
He sensed something different but he couldn't tell what. Jeremy
distracted Kiyan by starting an argument with Fred over what was
the best school of bending. Corban soon settled it by explaining
that no one school was better than another. Each had skills in
areas that were stronger but each had weaknesses that could be
exploited.

Eager to start the day they had breakfast and were
soon at the lake. Corban wanted to see what the boys could really
do so he helped them with some basic forms. Corban mused on the
flickers of color he saw in Kiyan’s energy. There was the blue that
was to be expected for a water bender but strands of red seemed to
flicker through Kiyan’s energy.
Perhaps,
he thought,
Kiyan is more than just a waterbender.

Taking Kiyan to a flat rock in the water they began
to try some simple techniques. To Corban's surprise Kiyan was
affecting a much greater area than he should for the second day of
bending. There was restraint there. Connecting to Kiyan's mind he
decided to try something. Letting a ripple escape their calm pool,
Corban quietly distracted Kiyan and let him put all his power into
the ripple. The resulting wall of water that slid across the lake
and crashed on the far shore rebounding back towards them. Corban
struggled with his surprise enough that Kiyan realized what was
happening. Kiyan jumped off the rock and began to glow with a blue
light to Corban's eyes. The wave began to shrink as it flew at
them. Before breaking on them Kiyan gave a pulse of light and the
wave froze in place. Letting the energy abate, Kiyan opened his
eyes and saw the frozen wave hanging over him. Turning he saw
everyone looking at him in amazement. Kendra shifted into Kiyan's
view and bent the frozen water back into the calm lake like it had
been before.

Speaking in Kiyan's mind she said.
“Kiyan you
don't have to hide from Corban or your friends. Theo told me about
what the villagers were like when they found out so I won't tell
them but you can trust those here. The villagers will eventually
accept you for who you are.”

This indeed was a surprise even though Corban had
felt another bender melt the lake. Kiyan had an enormous amount of
raw talent but virtually no refinement.

“OK, Kiyan I see you have been holding out.” Corban
decided to meet the issue head on. “Apparently you don't want
anyone to know so I won't tell if you won't. I can also tell that
you are a mirror telepath. Nothing to be ashamed of but I can
understand that some might be intimidated. As a telepath the
emotions people would be stronger to you than to even the host.
Kendra gave me this assignment but I make it my mission now to help
you control your powers. If you can control them you can be a
powerful force for good.”