A Beautiful Saviour

Chapter Thirteen

Niklas was pacing the floor, it had been three days now since the enchantress had sent Joseph to sleep and now as the sun was shining they had all gathered together to discuss whether it was safe for him to be awoken. They had not interfered when they had seen him pull up ground and pull in sea because he had wavered when he felt the sea under his power. It was as if he was coming back to his senses and so they had given him a chance. Luckily he had come through. But not before he had completely drowned the shore trying to bring the sea inland.

                When he had put the water back he may have restored the shore but they had recognised how unstable he was now. It wasn’t right that he couldn’t be allowed his own mate, especially since it was mere human convention that set the barrier between them. They all wondered at what they would find when he woke up; would it be the depressed Joseph or the angry Joseph that needed to be instantly sent to sleep again.
                The irony was that when Joseph woke up he was a changed man. So far changed they were astounded by the sudden transition. He went about the daily routine as if he was bored. He stopped weapons mid-air and they did not even shiver in the opposite direction. His control had spiked to an all-time high that was the pinnacle of his power. He needed no holders and that was mission accomplished. The effort it took him to use his power was the same lack of effort he needed to also refine and constrain it. But with that change came the devastating realisation that the progress had come a terrible price. Joseph’s eyes looked dead.

“Joseph, how are you feeling this morning?”

“Let’s just get on with things Niklas.”

“No Joseph, tell me. How are you doing?”

“Fine, it’s doesn’t hurt anymore.”

                As though in a daze Joseph walked away, the trees on either side shimmered as he walked past the very natural environment shying away from the feel of his power that was brushing at them from his unconscious aura. But he did nothing; the power was there and could be vaguely felt but it did nothing. Not yet. Joseph needed to think. His eyes barely noticed anything. Truthfully it did still hurt him but he pushed it to the back of his mind, so far back that he was beginning to get numb. He couldn’t see anything. Elsa had been in his dreams, in his mind and he felt that the more he purposely tried not to ‘see’ her, in his mind, the more he couldn’t really see anything around him. He couldn’t appreciate the trees, the sea, or even the grass that his bare feet walked across.

                He had stopped wearing his boots when he woke up because he found them cumbersome. He could feel the floor before his feet touched it; he didn’t need the protection of such heavy soled shoes anymore. He left his shirt open not wanting the restraint and he let his hair grown that little bit more. He felt freer if his hair was longer and the locks could move in the wind. Niklas was at a loss, he was just glad he had spent the last few days preparing for this. Watching as joseph left them to their selves they all exchanged worried glances. “Not much we can do for him now.” Jaol commented feeling a little sad that his friend had now entered the oblivion that came with the loss of a mate.

“Send him to war.”

                The voice came from the enchantress and even she looked defeated. Her features seemed drawn and her beauty looked strained, as if it was a façade she was struggling to uphold. “Send him to the familiar ground he knows. There is no negotiating when the negotiator can’t distinguish between the sides.”

“But, he is trained. We have all-;”

“It doesn’t matter. Do you think he is capable of a great speech? Do you think he can do anything in this dazed state? Give him three days and he will be like a rabid dog. He will be an assets to the side he fights on. We need a calm man to stop this war, we need someone who can make a difference, he had fallen off the edge of a cliff into an unknown territory and be warned… should the power in him slip out of control, like he soon will, you must all be prepared to destroy him. It has come to an end, we will stay in the forest until it falls, then we will search for another. Our days are not over yet, they are just going to get… very unbearable.”

                Even as she spoke the words, from out of the corners of the forest came the whole lot of her kin. All the shinning, slender and well-dressed men and women walked out to the trees, their faces were solemn and their own lights were fading. The enchantress’ power was so great her light had not faded, but they could tell, the sorcerer’s all knew that what they had worked for had just walked away from them.

“You can not give up on him.” Jaol insisted.

“He gave up on himself a long time ago, now he believes the world to have forsaken him and so he has forsaken the world. Send him to war, if he fights he will win and he just might remember why we trained him to stop the fighting. Or he might not. We won’t know until we send him.”

“And until he gets back?”

“Peace Niklas, we wait for him.”

“Perttu is on his way.”

                The forest stilled. “And Perttu’s wife and children?”

“Are with him. I went to him because I knew Joseph would need a brother by the end. Perttu insisted on bringing his family; I thought it safe, until I saw his reaction.”

“Keep the children from him. Keep the wife from him, he shouldn’t see the family he will never have, and the woman and child should not be around someone as dangerous as he is.”

“He is in perfect control!” Jaol argued.

“NO! He controls his magic perfectly! But when he loses control of himself he will lost the grip on his magic and he will create devastation.” Niklas yelled back.

“… What do we do about them then?” Another asked.

“Go and send him to war now. Perttu can decide what to do when he gets here.” The enchantress ordered, eager to avoid a quarrel at that moment. Niklas stepped forward and looked her straight in the eyes.

“Perttu will join his cousin.”

“Will he? He is a father now, be warned Niklas, they might not go the way you planned, Perttu’s priorities may have changed.”