The Druid's Spear (Ascent of the Gem Bearers Book 1) (8 page)

The new voice came from behind him. He pivoted and his mouth dropped open. “It’s you. The angel.”

At his words, the guttural voice chuckled while the woman averted her eyes from him. “Uchida—
chan
has been called many things, but not that.”

The owner of the first voice came into view. Obviously the man had once been tall, but great age stooped his back. Two men came from out of seemingly nowhere and rushed to his side. His face, highlighted by the dancing firelight, was dark, like bronze mixed with red clay. High cheekbones, almost alien for their height, rested near his eyes. The eyes were obsidian black, a gleam in them otherworldly and full of mystery. Long hair, tinged mostly with gray, adorned his head. With assistance from the men, the old man sat in a chair Ken hadn’t noticed before, then his two helpers melted away as quickly they’d come. Strangely enough, the dark corner suddenly lit as if the firelight followed the man.

“Who are you?” Ken asked as he went to stand before the man. “What am I doing here?”

“Pay your respects to the Elder,” the woman named Uchida commanded from behind.

“Quiet, Uchida—
chan.
It is not necessary.” The old man leaned forward, the glitter in his dark eyes more pronounced. “You look like the image of Rhychard—
sama
, minus a few changes,” the old man said, his voice deep and at odds with his frail appearance. “Come and sit closer by the fire. It’s cold tonight, and you need to regain your strength.”

Ken made his way forward. As he neared the old man, the warmth enveloped him like a blanket. He had a million questions, not to mention the more pressing one of who was Rhychard—
sama
, but for right now, he decided to play it by ear. After all, his life had changed in a very short amount of time.

“How long have I been here?”

“You were unconscious for two days. We made sure to take care of your wounds and the concussion you suffered from the attack. The burn marks along your body will heal with time, although I suspect they will disappear sooner rather than later.”

“We?”

“My followers and I stole you from the hand of Ludovicus himself. Not an easy feat, let me assure you.”

“You mean the creature that attacked me in my home.” A sudden tear beaded in the corner of his eye.

The old man gave a single nod.

“Why did the thing take John?”

The old man lifted his hands to the fire. Ken saw the nails were unusually long and pointed. They resembled talons.

“He mistook your friend for you.”

Ken’s face wrinkled in a scowl. “I don’t understand.”

“Are you hungry, Kenzo—
sama
?”

He recognized a delaying tactic when he saw one “Answer the question first.”

“It will take some time to tell you, and you must listen.”

A movement from an entry into the cave caught his peripheral vision. Uchida-san
, along with four men of varying heights with stern visages, had somehow made their way into the room. While the other three stared at him with mere curiosity, the fourth, a giant with a long braid down the side of his shoulder, bore a look of hostility.

“My son, Alderic.” The fierce man gave Ken a terse nod.

He didn’t know where the man’s animosity stemmed from but decided to ignore it. Too much had happened in the past several days to give much credence someone’s hidden agenda. Another movement caught his eyes, and he jumped up to see a giant gorilla standing next to Uchida-san
. The creature was stoutly built, with long hairy arms and chest plates so hard they resembled steel.

“What on earth is that?”

Uchida-san
smiled and rubbed the gorilla’s arm. “This is my best friend, Tambo.”

The animal grunted.

“Sit, Kenzo—
sama
,” the old man ordered.

He suddenly realized a table had appeared while he’d been focused on the ape, set for three.

Ken sat down, surprised to find pillows under his rear when they hadn’t been before. He had the distinct impression things would appear when they were needed, like afterthoughts. The old man sat down next, and Uchida followed. Servants, or so he assumed they were, came into the room bearing all kinds of food. A swollen roasted chicken, nestled among small, orb-shaped potatoes and sauce, and stuffed with wild rice and herbs had the honorable place at the center. Bowls of floured dusty bread sat before them, as well as various vegetables and fruits. It wasn’t a traditional Japanese meal, but food was food.

Ken’s stomach growled so loud everyone heard it.

“I have much to tell you, and would prefer you to eat while I do.”

Grief notwithstanding, practicality took precedence. He reached for the food, his hunger more important than his need for knowledge. His mother would agree -- there wasn’t any reason to starve.

“Do you think the fire is lit high enough?” the old man queried after Ken assuaged the first pangs of his appetite.

The closest he’d ever come to a fire was the Korean BBQ grill at a restaurant. He let loose a hollow laugh as he glanced behind him. “I really don’t know. I’ve never—“

There was something in the fire. A shadow, or a figure of someone standing there. The dark figure came forward, walking steadily until it came to stand in front of him.

The figure was made of ash.

Ken jumped up from his seat, fear clawing through his body. “What is that?”

“Be calm. Surely you know yourself so well.”

Ken stared at the ash figure again. There wasn’t anything to define the face, but as he studied it, he saw it was himself.

The old man got up from his chair, leaning heavily on the staff. His eyes as he glanced at Ken were full of light. He walked over to stand next to the ash figure and then scooped the ash in his hand, leaving a noticeable dent in the crown. The old man then threw the ash into the air. It brightened until it turned into smoke and whirled around like a tornado.

The ash figure then dissolved similarly, swirling around in the tornado until it too became smoke. The smoky haze filled the room, covering it from inch to inch, shrouding everything. It was opaque like fog, but Ken could still make out the blurry figures of Uchida
-san
and the old man.

“You asked who Rhychard—
sama
was?”

Ken nodded. “I did.”

The old man’s voice seemed to flow around him and the smoke grew thicker until Ken couldn’t see anything.

“Then, as they say, we shall begin at the wedding.”

Suddenly Ken saw a towering edifice. A temple or a church. He stared at the door that opened and beheld a small gathering of people. They were dressed in medieval garb from England. The women wore long dresses, and corded belts hung from their hips. One woman with long, black hair, plaited and edged with bright ribbons, gazed lovingly into a man’s face.

Ken couldn’t make out the man’s face, but he appeared to have a very large build. Massive like his own father, but much broader.

“He is your grandfather, Rhychard—
sama
.”

The man was staring at the woman but again, Ken couldn’t see his face.

The smoke rose, floating on invisible air currents. Another image appeared. The woman was scantily clad, in what appeared to be a bedroom of some kind. But the look on her face was full of fright. Ken turned to see what she was staring at. Two large figures were fighting. Their faces remained hidden in shadow but they fought, a fight of extreme ferocity and temerity.

Then, something happened, a flash of light or fire, he couldn’t be sure. Then the woman was beside the prone figure, wailing as tears streamed down her face. Another figure lay behind her. She beat against the body, her anguish marring her face. Then she searched his body, kissing the man but looking and looking. Whatever it was she found, she gripped it in her hand and then ran from the scene.

“That was your grandmother.”

Ken came out of the smoke and found himself back in the cave. The old man stood by the fire, leaning even more so now on his staff.

“You are a royal line, Kenzo—
sama
.”

One question came immediately to mind. “How could she be my grandmother? That look liked it was a long time ago back in medieval times.”

“
Hai
.” The man looked at him as if there wasn’t an issue with that.

“So how could she be my grandmother? Wouldn’t she simply be one of my ancestors, if you want me to believe all this?”

“Don’t be in a hurry,” The Elder said. “Everything will be answered in due time, I promise you.”

Another aspect of the vision nudged him. “What did she take?”

“Do you have it? The blood gem?” Bright dark eyes honed in on him.

This was the second time he heard the word, and he stiffened, the image of the creature’s face in his mind. Ice cold fear pierced his heart.

“That’s what that thing asked me.”

The Elder’s face changed, replaced by an intent look. The gleam in his eyes was more pronounced. “What thing?”

“The thing. Ludovicus,” Ken threw his hand in the air. “The creature that nearly killed me.”

Uchida
-san
came over to the Elder and stood by his side. Ken saw how the firelight cast an ethereal glow about her. He had a hard time taking his eyes off her.

“We should have left the moment—“

The Elder held up his hand, silencing her. He saw her bite her lips but she backed away. The gorilla came to stand by her side.

“Go on.”

“The thing asked me about the—the—”

“Blood gem,” Uchida-san
finished for him.

“Whatever.” Ken dragged his hand through his hair. “Anyway, he asked me for the same thing.”

“You might indeed have it. It is a rock that contains precious gems inside.”

He stopped pacing and stared at the Elder. “Gems? You mean that geode looking thing?”

“Perhaps you have this item on you.”

Ken pressed his hand in his pocket. By some strange quirk of fate the geode had remained in his pocket. He took out and held it to the Elder.

A silence drifted over the room. The men who had been standing silently against the wall stiffened in shock. Uchida
-san
wiped her hand on her thigh while the elder rose from his seat. The crackle of the fire dominated the room. The firelight danced frantically, as if reacting in shock to the geode’s presence.

“All this time,” the Elder whispered, the scuff of his footprints against the hardness of the ground. “At last we have it.”

“What is it?” It didn’t strike awe into Ken at all.

Uchida-san
spoke up. “A blood gem.”

“It looks like a geode. They’re found all over the world. It’s nothing special.”

She compressed her lips together at his words. From her stance, he could tell he irritated her. But how?

“What? Did I say something wrong?” He didn’t like that he’d disappointed her.

“There’s something else just as equally important,” Alderic interjected. A smug expression marked his face.

“Such as?” The Elder turned to him.

He opened his mouth to speak with Uchida-san
scoffed. “Keep your secrets to yourself, Alderic. When I asked you what it was, you wanted to get all the glory for yourself.”

“
Otousan
should have chosen me instead of you to lead this mission.” The big man stalked over to the slight woman, brimming with hostility. “If I had led the team, we could have killed Ludovicus where he stood instead of skulking about like cowards.”

“The Descendant got thrown into an electric grid. What do you think Ludovicus would have done to you?”

“Nothing, because I would have killed him.”

“Children,” the Elder interjected. “That’s enough arguing.”

The room crackled with tension as both Alderic and Uchida-san
glared at the other. “What is this thing that is so valuable, my son?”

A few seconds passed before the giant broke eye contact with the woman. “
Sumimasen
,
Otousan
. It’s not important enough to mention here. I bet if I put it right under her nose, she wouldn’t grasp how—”

“Will you stop it?” Uchida-san
yelled.

Ken cleared his throat. Much as he would like to see this battle of wills, he thought it more prudent to get back to the matter at hand. “We were discussing the blood gem and how special it was.”

The Elder shook his head sadly. “Oh, the blood gem is more than special. It is more than anything you can think of.”

“What do you mean?”

A gnarled hand waved away the question. “Another day. Will you permit Uchida—
chan
to keep the blood gem in a secure place?”

He knew he should just say yes and be done with it. But he couldn’t. His mother gifted this thing, whatever it was, to him. She had asked him to take care of it. That obligation could not be given to another person.