Safehaven

Chapter 9

I was so taken aback by it all, I nearly sat on the beast.  I hardly noticed it until I was on top of it, literally!  With sleek, silky, black fur, the dog looked like a living shadow.  Oversized canines protruded several inches out of the beasts mouth and they gleamed in the torch light like bacons.  Most startling, its eyes were pure gold.  They seemed to tug at your soul when you looked into them.  All in all, the dog was massive and very, very scary.  And even when the feral animal growled at me, sending shock waves into my bones, the strange man was unfazed and even amused!  “Now, now, Angel.  She is here to help.  She’s not a threat.”  The man spoke up.  His voice was smooth and even.  I couldn’t help thinking that is seemed vaguely familiar.  “You’re dogs name in Angel?”  Stupid, stupid me.  There is a beast sitting right next to me that could probably kill me in one bite and here I am making fun of it?!  Seriously, I had to work on thinking things through.  To my relief, the man only laughed.  “Angel here is a harmless animal.  She only attacks those with evil intents.  And to my knowledge, you have no such ambitions.  Am I correct?”  That sunk in.  Did I have bad thoughts?  Sure, all the time!  But this dude was talking about something else, something bigger than what it looked like on the surface.  Seeing my confusion, the man smirked.  “You are right to be cautious, young one.  You have potential.  Tell me.  Who are you?”  He chuckled a little, which made me tick, but I felt inclined to answer his question.  I felt like I could just talk to this guy.  It was as if I knew him from somewhere.  “I’m Shiloh.”  I started.  “Honestly, I’ve been trying to figure out who I am my whole life.  I am not like other people.  I can see things, like your dog.  Not many people can see her for what she really is, can they, sir?”  The dude broadly smiled, like we were having a pleasant and somewhat amusing conversation.  “You’re right, my dear.  Only special people can see Angel.  You see, she is what we call a creature of the night.  And please, call me Badon.”  Badon reclined back in his chair and turned to the fire, clearly enjoying the radiating heat.  Angel, likewise, padded over to the flames and curled up next to them and began snoring like a bulldozer.  The fireplace kept looking more and more appealing.  I could feel the heat halfway across the room, calling me forward from the drafty hall.  Badon spun his head toward me.  “Come join us by the fire.  I know it calls to you.”  Something in my head registered that it was a little weird that he knew what was going on in my head, but I ignored that and threw myself down next to Angel.  Now I felt much better, like a desperate thirst had been quenched with ice cold water.  “Nothing beats this, does it?”  The man muttered.  I fully agreed.  One thought kept nagging at the back of my head, though.  “Why does fire call to me?”  I asked, almost to myself.  Badon sighed, still mesmerized by the dancing flames.  “It has been ages since a child has been summoned to follow in the footsteps of Galloren.  Some see it as a bad omen.  Other see it as a sign.”  He paused.  “You see, long ago this castle belonged to a man names Galloren.  Today, he is concidered our greatest ancestor.  But that is not the point.  Galloren had the gift of Fyr.  He could absorb the energy from fire and do with it whatever he pleased.  With the great gift, he defeated our most deadly enemy, Morian.  Morian was banished to the deepest part of the Dark Forest.  He has not been seen for centuries.  Sadly, Galloren died months after his rule over the enemy.  But before he passed, the man sited a new prophesy.  He said that a hero of his mold would come to us in a great time of need with his companions.  Together, the hero and his friends would defeat Morian for good, freeing us of all evil.  That was thousands of years ago.  Since then, the old enemy has stirred, sending many of us into a panic.  What if the prophesy is not fulfilled?  But those thoughts were challenged when a girl and her five friends pounded on the front gate begging for safety from a fashion mob.  Even from the other side of the castle, I could tell something had changed.  A master of Fyr had come, a descendant of Galloren.  And some of us predict that she will lead us to a sweet victory.”  Badon stopped, and glanced over at me.  His eyes reflected the light of the fire, making them sparkle like glass orbs.  “Do I believe that the prophesy has come to pass?  Yes indeed, I believe it with my whole heart.  I believe, actually I know, that the glorified hero is sitting here right next to me, sharing with me the light and warmth of the fire.”  The man paused and his eyes bore into my soul, daring me to answer his prediction.  “It’s me, isn’t it?”  Badon didn’t even have to answer.  He gazed back into the fire, again lost in beauty of it.  I, on the other hand, had so many thoughts flying around in my brain that I thought my head was going to explode!  Slowly, I began to piece together what had just been said.  I should have been happy.  The question I had been asking all my life had just been answered.  I knew who I was.  Had I hoped for a more simple answer?  Sure!  But what could I do about it?  That stuck in my head, the one thought that could possibly turn my whole life around.  Could I change my fate?