Lake of Souls Chapter 16

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The man wheeled around to look at us. His eyes grew wide upon seeing Filon and I charging towards him. I looked at Filon, "You get the child. I'll handle him." Filon nodded quickly and ran past me. I screamed at the top of my lungs, drowning out the howling winds around us. The man dropped the blade and tried to run though it was far too late for him. I reached a hand out scooping the fabric of his robe into my fingers and yanked him up off the ground so he could look me in the eyes.

He tried to look defiant at me though he was obviously frightened. In a shaking voice he declared, "The vessel has returned to slaughter us all. I will gladly die at your hands then bend my knee to the likes of you false King."

For a moment my rage overtook me and I grinned baring my teeth at him, "That sounds good to me. One less monster in this world."

Filon's voice called out over the winds, "Xea don't do it! You'll regret it and you know it. Don't let your anger control you into doing what he wants. Please! I've got the child now and they're safe. Let him go."

Slowly my senses came back to me and I lowered the man to the ground, "Count yourself lucky this day. That man over there just saved your life. Now who are you and what are you doing here? Answer me quickly or he won't be able to save you the next time."

The man crumpled on the ground before me, "Could you not tell by my robe and start? I am the Earth King obviously. Come back from the dead to lead his people against you and your kind. I have gathered many under me and the few who did not join me are locked away or dead now. Leave this place, vessel or I will be forced to call the mountains themselves down upon you where you stand."

I laughed, "You're the Earth King returned from the dead? Such a pitiful lie! I absorbed his soul and then sacrificed it to the great door that guarded the lake of souls. You'll bring the mountains down on me? By all means please try. I will give you this opportunity."

Filon stood there holding the baby close to his chest with one hand and a small fire lit in the other. There was a look in his eyes that told me he was not exactly happy with what he was seeing right now. I didn't blame him personally. Until now all he had seen was my kindness, none of my anger. I watched the man slowly stand up and then raise his hands into the air. He called out in a voice that demanded respect from all that could hear, "Oh great mountains hear my plea! There is an intruder in our land! Crush him and cast him out!"

I slowly lowered my body getting ready to dodge out of the way but nothing happened. The man's face slowly lost all of its color, "No! The mountains have betrayed me for the vessel! He has truly turned this land against us. Foul vessel! I will cast you out myself then." With that he started to rush for his knife. I took a step and swept my arm at him catching him in the ribs with my forearm. I heard the sound of bone breaking from his body as he flew into the mountain side.

I watched his body make impact with a dull thud and fall to the ground. I stared in disbelief and then looked at Filon, "I didn't mean to kill him. I was just trying to stop him. Filon you have to believe me! I wasn't trying to kill him." I could already see his soul leaving his body. I purposefully ignored it not even wanting to tempt the idea of absorbing it.

Filon started walking away from me towards an entrance on the side of the mountain. It was partially obscured from view but I could see the same symbol from the arm bands above the entrance. Filon's voice cut through the wind colder than anything else around, "Let us get inside before this child dies from the cold."

I silently followed, giving one last look at the dead body before stepping into the cave. The temperature difference was immediate and welcomed. Filon stopped shortly and found us a small offshoot from the main path to settle in. He very gently handed me the baby which was still crying, "Hold the child while I warm it. I'll see if we have anything with which to feed it." Some of the kindness had come back to his voice but I could sense a small rift between us.

I took the child in my hands though it was small enough it could easily have fit into one hand. I rocked it very gently keeping it close but not too much so to Filon's hand so it could be warmed. Slowly the child settled down and I began to notice that inside of me the souls were starting to act erratically. Filon rummaged through the sack becoming increasingly annoyed until he found some of the fruit. He stared at it for a moment, "I guess I could squeeze some of the juice into the child's mouth. It's better than nothing. What do you think Xea?"

I had become lost in thought between looking at the child and feeling the souls in me moving, "I'm sorry Filon what did you say?"

Filon sighed and gave a slight smile though I couldn't interpret what it meant, "I said I could squeeze out some juice into the child's mouth for it to drink. What do you think?"

I thought for a moment, "Yes I think that could work. You probably know more about children than I do so I'll leave that part in your hands. Once you're done though I think I can help the child. The souls in me are behaving oddly and I think one of them desires to inhabit the child. It would no longer be a vessel but would actually have a soul."

Filon nodded, saying nothing as he very gently squeezed the fruit over the child's open mouth. Drops fell in and the child gulped them down eagerly. By now the child had stopped crying completely and seemed almost content though still hungry. Filon squeezed out every drop from the fruit that he could. I then handed him back the child, "I'm going to try and give it a soul. They all seem so eager to go to him."

Filon took the child in both hands, now extinguishing his own flame. We were only lit by the glow of my own body which at this point was shimmering. Filon looked at me, "Are you sure you can do this? You took one life to save this child. I'd rather it not become two lives."

His words struck me hard enough to bring tears to my eyes but I understood why he said then, "No I am not sure. I've never given a vessel a soul but they are guiding me and I have faith in them. Do you have faith in me?"

Filon nodded, "Always Xea." With that I placed my hand on the child's chest and closed my eyes.

In my mind I called to the souls, "Which one of you is meant to inhabit this child? Come forward and take your rightful place in the world." I could feel all the others stop, a singular soul slowly going down my arm, and then exiting my hand going into the child. I opened my eyes and watched as the all black exterior of the child seemed to fade away to a much paler complexion with bright blue eyes. The same color as myself now staring up at me. I looked at Filon with a smile, "Your faith is rewarded."

Filon held the child gently rocking him, then he looked up at me, "I'm sorry for earlier Xea. I know you weren't trying to kill that man but I also know that his death is now going to weigh on you. That's why I was so adamant about you not hurting him. Well that and you were scaring me. I've never seen you like that and personally I don't like it. If I had my way I'd never see it again. That doesn't mean that I don't care about you still because I do but all I've known is the kind gentle man before me. You're not a monster Xea regardless of what these people think and I know that."

I sighed, bowing my head and rubbing the back of it, "You're right though. I let my anger get the best of me and if it hadn't been for you I would have killed him much sooner and on purpose. Thank you for pulling me back from that place. I do not want to be a King of war but a King of peace."

We suddenly could hear footsteps echoing down the main corridor we had come from. Voices calling out, "Earth King, have you disposed of the vessel child?" Filon and I with the baby moved further down the corridor we were in trying to hide my glow from sight. Thankfully they passed right by us but soon the footsteps were coming back running, "The Earth King is dead and the child is gone! We may have intruders! Search everywhere for them."

I looked at Filon and whispered, "Do you think we can get out of this without killing anyone? We can't leave the way we came, not with the weather so poor out there."

Filon looked back at me, "You could always do your talking with the land thing and try to fix the issue but if that doesn't do anything then I'm not sure what we're going to do."

I sighed and sat against a wall but kept my hands open, "If you need to defend us place the child in my hands. I'll try to be quick though I don't really know what will happen." Filon nodded and I closed my eyes. I was able to connect with the land easily this time almost as if it wanted me to connect and help it. The area we were in was filled with people, far more than Filon would be able to handle if they found us.

I spread my conciseness through the land and asked, "Why do you shake so much? What is wrong?" The land guided me underground and showed me pieces of earth that were under the earth. They bumped and grinded against one another because too much weight had been dropped on them when the Earth King's castle collapsed. They were trying to sort out the mass boulders but were unsuccessful. I watched all of this with fascination, "What can I do though? How can I heal you and stop the tremors?"

The souls in my body began churning around inside of me in earnest as if they were trying to break free from me. A voice called to me from within, "You are the King. Demand of the land and it will follow you. All you must be willing to do is give up a little of your power."

I opened my eyes and looked at Filon, "Alright I have a plan that I have absolutely no idea if it will work. However it's all I've currently got. So I ask you again, do you have faith in me?"

Filon looked at me solemnly, "Always Xea."

I sighed, "Good because someone has to. Now you take the child a little further down and try to stay hidden." I smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead, "Thank you. I'm really not sure I could do this without you." With that I began walking back towards the main corridor. I could feel Filon staring at me as I walked and I knew he wanted to stop me. However he did have faith in me and that kept him silent.

I stepped into the main corridor just in time to come face to face with five men all brandishing swords. We all stared at each other for a moment before I finally spoke, "I am King Xea and I have come to stop the tremors in your land. After I have done so I will travel to the air kingdom and stop the icy winds that have been freezing your land."

One of the men stepped forward while another one ran away, I assumed to let others know they had found me. The man who stepped forward spoke, "Did you kill the Earth King and take the vessel child?"

I nodded, "I did kill the man masquerading as the Earth King though by accident and yes I rescued the vessel child. I then gave it a soul and now it is like any other child of your land."

The man looked me up and down sizing me up to decide if him and his friends could actually fight me or if they should wait for reinforcements. He decided to stall, "You say the Earth King was a fake? How do you know that?"

I smiled, "Simple, I was the one who killed the real one and absorbed his soul. That man's soul was not the Earth King's. He was but a regular man who played a role that everyone could get behind. You needed a leader, someone to rally all of you. He looked the part and he played it well, but he was no King."

The man studied my face the whole time as if he were trying to tell if I was lying to him, "You say you can stop the tremors. Do it and we will lay down our arms right now and we will tell the others to do the same. We'll even stop trying to kill all the vessel children that have and may continue to appear."

I nodded, "We have reached an agreement then." I closed my eyes, spreading my arms out to touch the walls of both sides of the corridor. My voice spoke with authority and across the land, "Cease these tremors and let the land be calm once again." I could feel the souls leaving my body in a rush diving into the earth. So many of them at once I couldn't even properly count them though something in the back of my brain popped out the number sixty two. I could see the souls melding into the earth and helping to crush and break down all of the extra weight. Slowly the land stopped shaking beneath our feet until it stopped completely.

I opened my eyes to the sound of swords clattering to the ground. The four men in front of me stared with wide eyes and open mouths. The one who I had spoken with fell to his knees, "All hail King Xea, savior of the land!" The other three followed suit declaring the same thing. At this point I could hear many more footsteps rushing towards us. They all stopped behind the four men who were prostrated before me.

The first who had fallen to his knees got up and turned to his comrades, "King Xea is the true King! He told the land to stop shaking and it did. Lay down your arms and release all of the prisoners. Our leader, the man who proclaimed himself the Earth King is dead and he was lying to us. All hail our true King!"

One person from the throng of people who had arrived pushed forward to the front still holding his blade, "Of course he was not our King! Were you so dull as to believe that? However what he stood for was right and just! Death to the vessel and to all born like him!" With that the man rushed me with his blade. I deftly sidestepped him and slapped his hand with enough force that once again I heard bones crack at the impact. He dropped his blade screaming in pain, "Would a King break the hand of his people?"

All of the others watched in disbelief at the events that had transpired. No one spoke a word but they all descended on the man like a pack of hungry dogs. Immediately I stepped in the way, "No more harm shall come to this man. He has been stopped and hopefully now sees the error of his ways. Killing him or harming him any further will do no good."

I heard laughter behind me, "Oh foolish vessel, did you forget that I had another hand?"

I then heard the sound of a sword falling to the ground once again and Filon's voice, "Perhaps he did but I didn't." I turned to see Filon holding the baby in one hand and his blade in the other holding the man who attacked me at the tip. "Xea you really have to be more careful. I know I scolded you earlier for losing your temper and acting rashly but that doesn't mean you can be too trusting either."

I smiled at him, "Thank you Filon once again for saving me from myself." I now turned back to the men, "The child he is holding is the former vessel that was going to be killed. Please tell me that the child's mother is still alive and here."

One of the men spoke up, "She's down in the dungeon with all of the former King's men. Come with us and we'll take you to them." With that the man who attacked me was lifted up and bound so that he could be taken to the dungeon. We made our way through the cave system down to the dungeon.

I looked at Filon as we walked, "You really shouldn't have done what you did. What if the child had been hurt in your attempt to save me?" Filon looked up at me and started to speak but I stopped him, "However it was very sweet of you to come to my rescue and all while holding the baby. So thank you again. However, don't make a habit of it alright. Also as ferocious as you were, you were still rather cute like that. So brave and valiant but with this little baby on your hip that looked so pleased to be with you. Take away the sword and the look rather suits you."

Filon blushed deeply and looked straight ahead saying nothing. The little one on his hip was looking at me and grinning a big toothless grin as if they got the joke. Finally I teased a little more, "What's wrong Filon? A griffin got your tongue? You're bright red and yet no quip back to pass the blush back to me. Have you perhaps become ill?"

Filon growled slightly at me and stuck his tongue out, "You caught me off guard was all. You've talked about how handsome I am and how masculine I look with my scars. Now you turn it all around and say that I look cute with a baby. Like now we're just a loving doting couple out and about with their child."

I laughed and ran a hand through his hair, "Who is to say we aren't? Let us enjoy these small moments while we have them." We arrived at the dungeons and were first met by the former King's guards.

There were five in total of them who came up to us. One of them, who carried himself as a military leader, stepped in front of the others, "King Xea, please tell me that the men you sent looking for seeds and birds managed to return safely. We have them secret routes to take before we were captured so as to avoid all of this. We didn't even tell them what the actual problems were in hopes we could deal with it ourselves."

I nodded and clasped the man on the shoulder, "They did return safely and with what I asked for intact. Though I wish I had known what I was walking into. Would have made our journey here much easier. Now would you mind taking us to the mother of this child? This child was born a vessel but I gave it a soul and so now it is like all of you as you can see."

The man nodded and led us further into the dungeon to a cell that was currently being unlocked. A young woman came out looking around wildly, "Where is my child? Please tell me they didn't kill my baby!"

Filon called out to the woman, "Over here dear lady. This is your child but no longer a vessel. King Xea gave him a soul and now he is like any other citizen of the earth kingdom."

The woman ran up to us gingerly taking her child into her arms and began to cry, "Thank you King Xea and to you as well brave knight. Thank you both so much for saving my child. Tell me brave knight what is your name?"

Filon smiled, "My name is Filon. Why do you ask?"

She smiles looking at her child, "His name will be Fea. A combination of the two great men who came and saved him."

So the earth kingdom has been saved and we saved the vessel child. Things are starting to look a little better now at least. Now off to the air kingdom. I hope you enjoyed this story if you did then please heart, subscribe, and feel free to leave a tip. Till next time. The next chapter as well as the original short story will be linked below.

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Original Short Story