Everville: The Rise of Mallory (18 page)

“No. Varstock wants to be left alone, and I think I would enjoy spending a couple of extra days with you guys traveling back to the land of the giants,” Owen said with joy.

“Yeah!” Felix exclaimed.

Asher nodded his head in agreement, grateful that Owen chose to spend some extra time with them. He felt as if he had a new friendship with Owen, and in fact, he did.

Chapter 19

Undone

I
t took over a week to return from the Black River Valley to the land of the giants, and the giants had been anxiously waiting for Owen’s return the entire time. The entire army of giants was completely restored.

Owen could see Borak in the distance, smiling. General Varrick stood beside him. Between Borak and Owen stood an entire army; an army of the formerly dead soldiers who now owed their lives to Owen.

“Owen, I wanted to thank you,” one of the giants spoke as he knelt down, getting as close to Owen’s eye level as he possibly could.

“This is my son,” the giant said as the small child squirmed out of his father’s arms and started slobbering over Owen’s entire body.

Owen was grateful, but a little grossed out at the same time.

“I named him Owen, after you,” the father said.

“I don’t know what to say,” Owen replied.

“You don’t have to say anything. He didn’t exist before. I died in The City of Worms, but after your success in discovering The Third Pillar of Truth, my life was restored. I remember living it, and I remember him being born,” the father said with deep gratitude.

Borak and General Varrick made their way through the crowd of those who were formerly deceased until they reached Owen.

“Borak! It’s great to see you, and you too, General!” Owen said with a great pleasure.

“It’s great to see you too, Owen,” they both said in unison in a deep tone. Then they began laughing in response to their agreement.

“I think you’ll find many stories like the one you just heard, Owen. Our people and our army owe you a debt that can never be repaid,” General Varrick said with sincerity.

“The General’s right, Owen. We owe you a tremendous debt. Now let us start by gracing us with your presence at a great feast and performance we have prepared in your honor,” Borak said.

Borak picked Owen up high over his head, carrying him to a series of tents, tables, and seats. When he arrived at the large gathering, they sat Owen down in the most comfortable seat in all the land. They had specially made it for Owen, and it was just right for his size. It wasn’t like the hard wooden, dirt, or brick chairs that were typical in the land of the giants. The cloth was made of satin, with a comfortable cushion built in on all sides. It was red and purple, the small threads plated in gold. It was a chair made for a King, and Owen was their King for the day.

Music started playing and jesters arrived in front of a large stage. The giants all sat, laughed, ate, drank, and watched as a great festival commenced in a massive outdoor arena they had constructed specifically for this purpose.

After the jesters finished, the giants put on an elaborate play. It was the best acting that Owen had ever seen, rivaling the most critically acclaimed Shakespearean live action plays he had seen on Earth.

Owen was touched by the gratitude the giants displayed towards him, and he hated to have to leave, but he knew there were others waiting for him, as well. The following day, a large group of giants escorted Owen to one of the portals, but not before almost squeezing the life out of him in what he was sure was their gentlest of hugs.

Owen passed through the portal, arriving in The Keeper’s Workshop.

Owen had never seen so many creatures stuffed into The Keeper’s Workshop. It was usually much more subdued. Even The Keepers were unexpectedly jovial. He even saw them laughing.

“Come, Owen, I have a surprise for you,” The Keeper said as intense happiness beamed off his face.

The Keeper escorted Owen, with a massive crowd following closely behind, above ground to the land of the Fron. They continued walking to the Great Fron Hall. The Keeper turned in Toe’s direction until Owen saw who it was.

“Toe! It’s great to see you again!” Owen said in excitement.

“It’s great to see you too, Owen,” Toe said holding a small child and standing next to another who was being held by an attractive Fron maiden.

“Owen,” The Keeper said, barely able to subdue his excitement. “After the losses of both armies were restored in Everville, the land of the giants, and The City of Worms, an agreement was forged. As with the armies of Everville and the armies of the giants, the armies of Them also had lives returned that were previously lost.

“The alliance that was forged by Samil and the lives that were returned to Them convinced Them to return those Them had stolen and placed in The Other In Between. As you can see, Toe’s wife Nissa and his children were returned to him,” The Keeper said with great pleasure.

Owen continued walking through the Great Fron Hall and saw many of his old Fron friends as well as Ubaloo and marmooks.

“Owen,” Kearney said, patting him on the back.

“Kearney, it’s great to see you again,” Owen replied.

“It’s great to see you, too,” Kearny replied. “There’s someone else here who wants to see you,” Kearney said as he pulled Owen outside the hall.

It was Rathlar. The dragon had arrived in the land of the Fron and he was not alone. Governor Laveda, from the second city of the Alarians, was there with Rathlar. As soon as they saw Owen, both of them changed their form to that of a human. Governor Laveda held out her hand, and then pulled Owen towards her in an embrace.

“You probably do not know me or remember me, but I know you very well. What you have done for our people is the most that anyone has ever done for our kind in the tens of billions of years that we have existed. As we speak, monuments are being constructed in your honor as a symbol for the great character that prevented a great war. Like the other species here in Everville and he surrounding lands, I’m sure I am not alone when I say that our kind will forever be in your debt. You have our sincerest gratitude,” Governor Laveda said to Owen graciously.

“Thank you, too, Owen,” Rathlar said in a voice of a young teenage child. “I don’t really know what to say. You did so much for me and for our people.”

“I’m just grateful I had the opportunity to help,” Owen replied.

Kearney pulled Owen back to the Great Fron Hall. Like all Fron celebrations, there were plenty of foods, wines, and ales. This one, though, was special. The Fron, Ubaloo, and other species brought in dishes of foods that Owen had never seen, even in the land of the Fron. In fact, every dish was different. They must have made every single type of food that had ever been made in Everville from all the lands, and not just a single dish, but the best possible dish of each type of food. The same could be said for the wines and ales.

The celebration was excessive, but Owen wondered how excessive it could be given the circumstances. Their friends had returned from the dead, their loved ones restored, a great battle had been won, a truce had been made, and for the time being darkness appeared to have been vanquished in the land of the Fron and the surrounding lands of Everville.

Owen stayed the night, but alas, he had his own family and friends that he had to return to. The following day, after much fanfare and celebration, Owen prepared to transport himself back to Easton Falls University. The Keeper shook Owen’s hand.

“I’m sure I’ll see you again, Keeper,” Owen said.

“I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for your, Owen,” The Keeper said as Owen transported himself back to his dorm at Easton Falls University.

When Owen returned to school, many things had changed. Samil was no longer dead and retained his post as an art history professor. Dante had never been in a coma, though he remembered it and was grateful that he didn’t have any make up homework. The missing members of the Echo Club, along with Zee, had returned from wherever it was that Jacob had apparently vanquished them to while he was briefly an all-powerful evil student. Drusilla and Owen were no longer on academic probation and were more than welcome to attend the upcoming Spring semester.

The next couple of weeks went by with unprecedented swiftness. Owen was grateful to be back at Easton Falls and spend time with his friends Dante, Anika, Zee, Drusilla, as well as his new roommate, Adamo. Classes went by quickly, and Owen was enjoying life as a university student. For the first time since he had started classes at Easton Falls, Owen felt like a normal student. He did things that normal students did and went places where normal students went.

The blanket of snow that fell during the Thanksgiving break never left. It stayed through the remaining weeks of Fall semester. Winter break had finally arrived and Owen Sage had just made it home after the most eventful semester of his entire life.

Oh, and there was one more thing.

A few days passed into the Winter break. It was Christmas Eve. Owen’s mom opened the curtains to the outside to watch the snow that had just started to fall.

“I love the snow,” Owen said, looking out the window.

The night had fallen, and Owen could see the blue, green, and red Christmas lights that decorated the entire neighborhood. Owen loved those, too.

Owen could smell a nice Christmas ham that his mom always made on Christmas Eve and she stood next to him and looked outside the window, both enjoying the snow and lights.

The smell of the brown-sugar, honey-glazed ham drifted into the living room. Owen sat down on the center of the couch, flipping through the channels until he found something that he really wanted to see:
A Christmas Carol
. It was his favorite Christmas movie, and it was just getting to the good part.

Owen’s mom sat down beside him and gave him a great big hug. She turned her attention to the television screen.

‘You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There’s more gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!’

That was Owen’s favorite part. He didn’t know why, but he loved it, those few sentences, every time it came on.

Owen turned to the other side of the couch. It was his dad.

“I love you, Owen,” his dad said as he gave him a great big man hug.

“I love you too, Dad,” Owen replied.

Owen’s actions in helping the dragon willingly give up the element, for whatever reason, had restored his father’s place in the family. Owen wondered, though, who had replaced his father as The Second Pillar of Truth.

Owen carefully thought back to the warning that The Third Pillar of Truth had given him before he walked through the bluff. He remembered that much, and he took it to heart. “Your quest for the truth is just beginning. Your friends are not safe, and there are battles in Everville that are still to come. Don’t be complacent. Be on your guard, stay true to yourself, and continue to surround yourself with people who are honorable and just.”

The End.