Crest of Power: Kevin and the Magician

31 Meeting in the Brocade Hall of Dreams

He smiled at her. He didn't know if it was the whole truth his wife had spoken, but he knew it would make her happy. So he agreed, and he and baby Jesse were gone. She wanted to follow her father because she knew what came next. She didn't want to see what came next. But she couldn't help it. Try as she might to will her feet to follow her father she stayed behind with her mother and brother. He looked so young. She could almost reach down and pick him up. What a strange thing to see your older brother before you looking so young. Her mother was a flurry of activity rushing here and there. She was packing, and in a panic. She kept reaching for her neck to play with her necklace. The crest! She always wore the crest on the neck! Where was it? Jesse wondered. This was the night her mother had hidden the crest. She had hidden it so well that it had yet to be found! Jesse now watched her mother fervently. If she could figure out where their mother hid the crest they could use it to fight the magician! He would be defeated!

Then she realized. If her mother didn't have it on her now, she had probably already hidden it. Her mother was now getting Krevik ready. She had him in her arms and was out the door before Jesse could catch up. Her mother was running with Krevik in her arms now. She was running quickly. But Jesse saw it. It was the same. First the birds following her, then the wolves. Just as it had done with her, the large black bird came out of nowhere and attacked the first wolf. Isadora took this opportunity to place a crying Krevik down behind her and drew her sword. She would not go down without a fight.

Krevik's crying was beginning to form words. "No, I don't want you to die mommy..." Over and over he was repeating the words. Jesse tried to help, but she went right through what she tried to attack. She saw Krevik crying, and her heart went out to him the same way it would go out to any child in fear. She knew she couldn't protect him. Her mother was getting tired now, and though the large black bird was trying to help Isadora, the other birds kept attacking it. It wouldn't be long before the wolves had her.

Suddenly the smaller black birds began to come together. They were flying in tighter and tighter circles until they were attached to each other. Jesse sat next to Krevik, and tried to protect him. This had to be the magician. Oh no! No! This was where the magician kills her mother. The birds crowing grew quiet. Now standing before her mother was a figure in black. The wolves stopped their attack and stared at the figure.

"Tell me what you have done with the crest wrench," said a familiar voice. Jesse shuddered at the familiarity of it. The voice was not that of the magician. It was a different voice. But how could he be here? She couldn't see his face; couldn't tell if it was really him.

"No," said Isadora simply. She was breathing hard, and bleeding out pretty badly where some of the wolves and birds had landed their marks. She still looked beautiful and strong in spite of being so tired and bloody. She stood there proudly.

"TELL ME!" Cried out the familiar voice from under his cloak. When he spoke he pointed at her and lightning shot out of his fingers toward Isadora. She cried out Screaming in pain. Jesse covered her ears. But she could not stop watching what this man was doing to her mother. Krevik also could not stop watching. He was no longer crying, just sitting there staring in shock.

The lightning wasn't stopping. "Tell me or else...." And he pointed his other hand at Krevik.

"No!" Jesse cried. Suddenly out of nowhere another black figure lurched itself at her mother's attacker. They struggled for a moment and then Jesse heard it. "Enough!" The Magician's hood had fallen off. He was standing over her mother's attacker with his white hair shining in the moonlight. He looked at the cowering figure below him in a black cloak. "Isadora are you alright?" The magician did not remove his eyes from the cloaked figure.

"S- s sorry, Magician." Her mother's voice was so weak. "I don't have the crest. You cannot beat him tonight. I hid it. Only Krevik knows where."

At this comment the cloaked figure bounded toward Krevik. The Magician threw himself in front of Krevik and put some sort of barrier between them and the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure continued to attack the barrier with full force.

"Isadora..." The Magician looked at her hurt. "Isadora! Speak to me!"

Isadora gasped a painful gasp. "Oh Jesse!" Her breaths came shallow and quick. "I'm so sorry to show you that." Her mother looked right at her. Isadora looked Jesse right in the eyes. Jesse cried silently. She wanted to hear everything.

"Isadora....?" He looked genuinely concerned now.

She looked back to the Magician. "Take care of Krevik. Please, keep him safe.....till he... is ...old enough. I'm afraid.... I.... won't be there." The cloaked figure seemed to give up and flee in a hurry.

"Isadora..." The Magician seemed to be fighting tears. "Please... Don't do this. You can't die like this!"

"-19... Krevik..... is... 19....so many... years." With those being her last words Isadora closed her eyes and died.

Krevik no longer cried. He had such a blank look on his face. His mother had died right in front of him. He was in shock. Jesse was in shock too. Had her mother really seen her? She didn't know what to do. She looked over at the Magician who wrapped his arms around Krevik.

"I was too late," The magician said apologetically. "I will never be too late again." It was a vow. Jesse could see determination behind every word.

"Over here!" shouted her father's voice. "The sound came from this way!" He was soo close. Jesse saw the scene in front of her and knew what it looked like. She knew what everyone would think. The Magician killed your mother and stole your brother. How often had she heard it that way? Her father and some of his closest men were riding their horses. They neared the Magician with Krevik still in his arms. Krevik sat emotionless in the Magicians arms. Suddenly the magician closed Krevik's eyes. Krevik slept. As he did so a white dragon came from the sky separating the Magician from her father. From atop the dragon the magician called out, "The boy is mine!" And then Jesse woke up on Krevik's back. She needed to talk to Krevik. He had said, the first time he had come back to the village that the Magician was not bad. Jesse remembered, because she, like everyone else, thought Krevik was just confused.

Now she knew. The Magician had saved Krevik that night, the same way he had saved her. Since this was true. Then could it also be true that the hooded figure that attacked her mother was the real villain?

Jesse needed Krevik to wake up soon. She had to talk to him about it.

*=*=*

When Krevik lay against the cave wall, he did not expect to fall asleep immediately, but he did. As soon as he lay back, he could hear a voice calling to him.

"-vik, Krevik, Can you hear me?" A voice called out to him from the darkness. He stood up and realized he was dreaming. His mind became clearer and he began to see brocade curtains hanging around him. "Krevik....follow the sound of my voice"

It was a woman. He did not know this voice. She was not familiar to him at all. This was a voice of someone he had never dreamed of before. He walked through the surreal display of curtains that seemed to be everywhere. There was someone walking in front of him. Another woman. He could only catch glimpses of her in front of him, but she was also walking toward the voice.

He followed her. As he followed her he could see the brocade patterns come to life as she brushed past them. Soon he found himself in a large throne room. Even the throne room in the Magicians castle was not this large. His mother stood in front of him ushering a boy with dark hair out of the room. She turned and pointed to the throne.

"Here you are...." It was the woman who had called him. "You must be Krevik. Your mother has spoken much about you."

"Who are you?" Krevik asked as his mother stood beside him.