Legacy of the Golden Wielder

Chapter 17

Hello, everyone!!!

Like always, feel free to point out any mistakes you find.

To the right (if you're on a computer), you wills ee a picture with all the basic elements.

Let me know what you think.

--------- 

CHAPTER 17

Aadi woke up with a scream. He’d had a dream of a dark creature swallowing all of Va’siel, including Ishani, Zoen, and Latiha.

“It was just a dream,” said Ishani softly. She leaned in, resting her head on his chest. “Everything is fine.”

“Yes, of course.” His pulse went down a notch as he caressed her jasmine-scented hair.

A sudden loud knock put him back to attention.

“Yes?” Ishani called.

“Miss?” came a voice from the other side of the door. “The empress would like to know if you and Mr. Aadi can accompany her in the garden for breakfast.”

Aadi frowned at the mention of mister.

“Yes. We’ll be there in a few minutes.

They got ready and went out to the back garden, which was much larger than he had expected. The grass was green with few patches of yellow. There were a few bushes scattered about, but not many. Aadi suspected it had something to do with the water shortage.

“How did you sleep?” asked the empress. She winked at Ishani, who simply smiled. “Well, I would gather.”

“Y...yes.” She hugged her friend and took a seat beside her. Aadi took a seat as well.

Behind the empress were a group of men. From their robes, Aadi gathered they were royal messengers. They all eyed him with great interest, which only served to make him feel more uncomfortable. At a wave of Latiha’s hand, the men moved forward at a hasty pace. Not once did their eyes leave Aadi.

“Is this him?” asked one of the messengers. He wore a blue robe with golden lines running from top to bottom.

A second man pushed the first aside. “Yes. I think that’s him. The Golden Wielder.”

“Golden Wielder?” Aadi asked. This was too much. First it was sir, and now he was the Golden Wielder.

“Yes,” said another man. This one had dark eyes and a narrow face. Like the other men, he seemed out of breath. “We heard stories in my home of Suteckh about a man who could actually wield earth. The stories said that his body was fully encased in a golden armor!”

“I heard that even his wielding was gold! chimed in another of the messengers.

“How could you possibly know that?” asked Aadi. “The events you’re describing took place yesterday morning.”

“So it did happen,” said a tall messenger. He pulled a small paper from his robe and began to write. A whistle later, a hawk flew down and perched itself on his shoulder. He tied the paper to his feet and the hawk took to the air. “Just wait until my emperor hears about this. He’ll be thrilled. We haven’t had hope for a long time!”

“I think the Golden Wielder will prefer to help us first,” said another man. This was one was far shorter, but much huskier. He wore green and brown robes. Aadi recognized them as the colors of Sandoria. “We are the sister earth city of Missea, after all.”

“Wait a second!” yelled a man wearing red attire. “The people of Belwebb might be primarily fire wielders, but we are in need of crops as well. The Golden Wielder must aid us first.”

Aadi looked over at Ishani. She gave him an: I don’t know what’s going on look.

“Gentleman, calm down!” ordered Latiha. At once, the men went quiet, though many of them were eyeing each other with contempt. “Aadi will be the one to decide what to do.”

“Then we should all present our case and have him decide.” The Sandorian messenger walked over to Aadi with a pompous stride. He took his hand and shook it vigorously, which only made Aadi feel more foolish. “Please, sir. Don’t listen to these other messengers from alien capital cities. Missea and Sandoria have always shared a great history as the only two earth capital cities in Va’siel. It is only fitting that you”

Aadi held up his hand. “Let me stop you right there.” He met the messenger’s gaze. Hopefully this way he would tell he was serious. “I will not be heading to Sandoria anytime soon.” The man’s jaw dropped. The rest of the messengers, however, smirked with satisfaction. “Or any other cities for that matter.” Now all the messengers looked at each other in confusion. “I will help everyone in Va’siel, not just one or two cities.”

Aadi proceeded to tell them everything he knew about the creature. As he did, the messengers hastily scribbled away on their small scrolls of paper. No doubt they were jotting down notes to send back to their leaders.

“So where is this creature?” asked the man from Belwebb.

As if on cue, Zoen appeared off in the distance. He ran toward them, which was a strange sight. Zoen never ran, and now Aadi knew why. His poor friend’s hunch made him lean too much from one side, so as he ran, he wobbled from side to side.

“I think I got it!” cried Zoen. He set down a scroll and proceeded to go on a long and winding tale about how he had come to his conclusion. Aadi didn’t understand most of it, but he did understand the fact that his friend had narrowed down the location to the Kroazia Mountains.

“Then I leave at once,” said Aadi.

Ishani stood before him. “You mean we.”

“You want to come too?” Aadi asked. “It’s going to be dangerous.”

“Which is why I need to come with you.”

He nodded in agreement. He wanted her to be safe, but he was not her boss. She was free to make her own choices as she saw fit, and she wanted to come. Who was he to stand in her way? Besides, it was going to be nice to have her around.

“I’m coming too,” Zoen exclaimed.

Aadi blinked in surprise. His tone was shaky, but Aadi recognized the layer of determination in his voice. He welcomed his friend as well. He was not that scared kid he had known all those years ago. He had matured into a capable man. He was sure his companionship and knowledge would prove invaluable.

The young empress stood. “So it’s settled. When do you leave?”

Aadi looked at his two companions. “Immediately.”

-------

Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts. 

Best, 

Cesar Gonzalez