Chosen

Drifting through the vaulted hall, the ethereal servant glided quickly past tall shelves full of trinkets, gifts and stolen treasures, gathered over millennia. Ahead, a blue glow intensified with proximity to the immense sanctum, a stoney perch jutting out into a galaxy of stars. The border bridging gates to other realities as well as uncharted worlds. At least to him. His master knew them all, quite well. Approaching the female titan, he slowed and gazed to the large two dimensional map of the world they lived on.

“What,” Maela’s hand hovered over a tiny, golden dot on the map as the servant’s attention rested fully on her.

“My master,” the wraith hissed. “She’s been taken toward the keep of an order of paladins, east of their hometown.”

Nodding, Maela’s glowing, cyan eyes continued focusing on the other matter at hand. “I’ll tend to that shortly,” her deep voice stated. Long, brown hair cascaded down her back, unkempt for many years as her life had been more about claiming revenge here in her exile. Faded blue robes hung heavily on her body, testament to a bygone age.

Bowing, he retreated and sped back down the long hallway he had come from. Tasks were never completed it seemed.

**********

Arthur woke with a start, eyes wide and soon focused in the keep’s hospital. Smells of ichor, honey and other medicinal concoctions filled the air as he looked around. His body covered in sweat, the alchemist pushed himself up to sit and felt how weak his body was.

“Take it easy,” the elder male voice implored as Arthur turned his attention to the right and noticed Regen seated at his large, mahogany desk. “You’ve been through a lot and haven’t been eating the past few days. I hope whatever you were working on was worth it.”

Confused, his brow furrowed. “What? How long have I been here?”

“Two days,” the cleric informed, setting the quill down atop his journal and turned to face him across two empty cots. “Sir Edgar found you in your room, passed out on the floor.”

Hands in his lap, he tried to recall such a project, then he remembered… Wait, no, she went back with her grandfather, to Carbost. Right.

“You ready to eat something?”

“I am, yes,” he nodded, sighing. Scanning the room, he noticed four other paladins convalescing, one of them eyeing him from his pillow, across the aisle. “Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s alright,” the paladin grinned. “Been awake for a while anyway.”

“How are you feeling,” he asked, welcoming the distraction as the cleric stepped into the hallway and no doubt headed toward the kitchen.

“Fine,” he nodded, then eyed his companions. “We vanquished a dark spirit south, in the Abor foothills,” he relayed, eyeing Arthur again. “We avoided the ruins of Flint, but…,” he bit his lip. “Arhus will lead us to vanquish the evil in that place, one day.”

Having heard a lot about that ancient ruin, Arthur wasn’t sure he was as eager as the paladin to go there. “If he does, then I hope the best for you, sir.”

Smirking, the knight perked up a bit. “We win either way. I look forward to feasting at his table, with my brothers, one day. But, until then we’ll fight as he leads.”

Nodding, Arthur knew better than to press his own beliefs on that issue, though admired them for their dedication to a cause. He just wasn’t born a fighter. “We definitely all have our gifts,” he soon replied, eyeing the cleric as Regen carried a bowl of steaming soup to him and handed it to the alchemist.

“Eat this and regain your strength. You need it,” he rounded the nearby bed and moved back to his desk as Arthur began eating. “Oh, the knight commander was inquiring as to your storeroom.”

“What about it,” Arthur asked, suddenly defensive.

Brow furrowed as Regen sat down, “Just wondered why you had it locked. I need some room to store some extra healing supplies.”

“You can’t,” he straightened, concerned. “There are some dangerous ingredients stored in there, for a few projects that I’m working on.”

“Okay,” the cleric raised his hand to try and calm the situation. “No one can find the key anyway.”

Nodding, he started to relax, though in the back of his mind he tried his best to recall what was stored in that room. “I hid it away, just for that reason,” the statement seemed not his own, but somehow he knew it was true. Confusing.

“Understood,” the cleric nodded, sighing. “Just have to make room elsewhere, that’s all.”

Arthur ate, trying his best now to figure out what that was all about, though the longer he lingered on it, the more convinced he became that whatever was stored in that room was valuable and very dangerous. It had to be kept safe, no matter what.