The Shadow of Eons

Chapter 9

 "Yes, Arda. Good girl. Goooood girl."

Jonas was petting a particularly friendly wolf, who had snuggled up to him and was now licking his face, her rough tongue tickling his cheeks and moistening them to a bright sheen. Her companions frolicked about the entrance to the cave, which Jonas had learned was called the Cave of Ages, for it had been discovered when Graciala was still young, many eons ago. Arda finished licking his face and rejoined them, howling and yipping about, and wrestling with a grey-striped wolf named Draila. Jonas envied them their good time..

The sun was shining, which was quite in contrast to Jonas's foreboding mood. Another three months of grueling travel lay ahead, which weighed on him like a thousand-ton boulder. Would there be no end to his suffering? Would he ever be able to settle down again, have stability, have peace?

He thought of Brianna: what was she doing at this moment? Was she in chains, tied to the foot of King Faril's bed, a slave to be used for one purpose only? Or was she being treated well, eating tasty morsels at the royal table and living a life of luxury? The King of Escelion was known as a particularly cruel man; did he have a generous side? And how was his son faring in the war? Was he still alive?

Jonas sat down, his back against a rock wall, and closed his eyes. He was falling into oblivion once again, he knew; this road only ended in madness, but it was unpreventable—it was a product of his circumstances. The gods had conspired to put him in this situation, and they were unrepentant.

"Brother!" came a loud, booming voice. He felt a large, warm hand on his shoulder; Jonas opened his eyes and squinted upwards to find the god Oliver looming above him. "Get up, man! It is time to depart! We have many leagues to go before dark! It will be a glorious journey!"

"Lay off, your grace," Jonas managed to mumble, his head lolling to the side. "Leave me be."

"Nonsense!" roared Oliver. "I will carry you if I have to, for we are making this journey together! Now, get up!"

"Why are you always yelling, your grace?" Jonas muttered, opening his eyes and shading them from the sun. "You are way too excited by this mission."

"It is necessary, is it not?" Oliver said, and let his hand fall off Jonas's shoulder. "Come, I will give you some time. But we will leave soon."

Oliver walked off, leaving Jonas alone again with his thoughts. He didn't actually mind that Oliver had interrupted his reverie; his mind was definitely going in a negative direction. Oliver's boyish enthusiasm was surprisingly quite refreshing, and Jonas found himself thinking of all the good things that were still in his life: he had Rose, an able travel companion who was devoted to him; he had found his daughter Devola in the unlikeliest of places; and he had new allies in Graciala and her family, though there was a chance they would end up killing him. He was not entirely discontent with his lot, and he hoped this attitude would continue throughout the journey.

"It is time to go, master," Rose said. Jonas started—she had crept up on him without him noticing.

"I thought you were done with the whole 'master' business, girl," he told her brusquely. "Don't you know, it sounds a bit obsequious, like you are some lowly servant and I am a cruel taskmaster."

"You did save my life, you know, Jonas," she said, her young face twisting into a grin filled with mirth. "I would have become a senile loaf of bread like those other children if not for you. And then I would have died, of unhappiness. Not a pleasant way to go, all things considered. Don't you think?"

"Your speech has improved in quite a short time," he told her dryly, actually not surprised she had hidden her wit from him. "But weren't you unhappy before that, also? You were a beggar."