Wrath of the Gods [Legacy, BK 3 - Hiatus]

1.1 - Henry

Everything was harder back then. I was young and naive, and I didn't get along well with the other children my age. I remembered the day when everything changed, even though it was years ago nothing could make me forget. The day had started like any other. There was morning work to do on my family's patch of land but by the time the afternoon sun was burning up her head, I'd slipped into the woods. Often, I tried to find a hollow or a stream to explore on my own, just to avoid the others, but the peace never lasted long.

I was not favored among the small group of my peers. I was the smallest of the boys, and therefore I was usually the one most picked on. Francis had a flair for creating games that often ended in me being humiliated for the other's enjoyment. And everyone had always had a good laugh. Except for Mary. She was nicer and would try to defend me when she could.

But that day was different. Most of the others had traveled down to the neighboring village with their parents. I decided to explore more of the woods near my family's house, climbing higher on the mountain than I usually went. I was rewarded for my trouble though.

High up on the side of the mountain, there was a rock face mostly covered in creeping vines and shadowed by the trees. But as I inspected it closer, I found a giant crack.

The deep crevice was the perfect place to hide. Even if the others thought to look for me up there, I could crawl right into the mountain itself and disappear. It was a tight squeeze when I tried it, but I was happy to find that the space grew wider as I moved further into the rock face. And then I saw the light, I moved further toward it, easing to it all while listening for anything that might tell me what the light might be.

The crevice opened up into a cave. In the center of which there was a stone table with lit candles gathered atop it. I remember being surprised, curious. There was no one else there, but the candles couldn't have lit themselves. There were other items on the table. A knife, a small mirror, and a small trinket of sorts. There was no other entrance to the room, other than the crack in the rock that I'd used.

I didn't touch anything that time, afraid of being caught by whoever had placed the items there. But time and time again, I would return to that cave and everything would be exactly the same. The candles would be lit, the items exactly where they were the last time.

Finally, weeks after my discovery, I reached out and touched one of the items on the stone table. I'd admired the knife from afar for days, trying to see the detail engraved in its handle. I had to see it in the sunlight. Picking it up, I carried it out through the crevice.

That was the same day the others found my hiding spot, having followed me up the mountain, searching for me. Hugh saw me come out of the rock face, and that was the end of that.

The others insisted on following me through and were enchanted just as I was when they saw the cave. I still had the knife, but as I set it back upon the table, a shiver went through me. And the others had felt it, too.

The five of us; Mary, Hugh, Francis, Cecile, and I, all gained a talent that day. Mary started to predict when certain things would happen and knew things no one else should have known. Hugh's beloved dog would continue to find him each night - even though he'd buried her months ago. Cecile would hear whispers in the wind, and Francis spoke in tongues.

I was so young and untested. We swore to keep each other's secret and to protect each other as much as we could. Because we knew if our families ever learned of it, we'd be killed. The talents are a curse, one that I should have never have unleashed upon this world.