Ch. 18 "Control"

I maneuvered the horse through the small crowd that had gathered, quickly reaching a center. I searched for Chase and Gray, spotting both quickly against the sea of green skin and woodland creatures. I whistled with my fingers loud and sharp. Heads turned and whispers spread like wildfire as the townspeople began to part. Chase held a hand up in welcome; Gray crossed his arms and gave us a nod. Arlan slid down, keeping a hand on the broad back of the horse. I ordered him forward with a light nudge to his ribs. Voices died out as quickly as they had begun. I reached the other side of the circle, stopping my mount in front of the boys.

"Is this... all for me?", I asked, dumbfounded. Food, treasures, precious stones, seeds, acohol, clothing; everything of any value was presented neatly in piles scattered through the small town square in categories. Arlan kept wary eyes while scanning the crowd and watched as Gray and Chase glanced at his chest, speechless.

"It is for you, if you'll have it. It would be considered rude not to take it", Chase whispered urgently to me, glancing from Arlan's sparkling white brand to my face. I nodded. I knew I had to address the people.

"Loyal creatures of the realm of nature", I began. I turned my mount to face a vast majority of the crowd, who were now gathering back into a sea of faces. My voice carried further than I had intended, and I sounded exceptionally stern. I softened my voice, hoping I sounded less opposing.

"I thank you for the bounty of your precious items. A very generous offering will guarantee your utmost safety and prosperity in the years to come. It is my hope that you should join me in this quest to locate and control the Warriors of Night. Should they refuse to be reasoned with, it will come to a fight. I pray that you trust my judgement and follow me onto the battlefield, for I will bring us victory and peace", I finished. The horse reared his head, pulling his strong front legs up off the ground, kicking the air. Cheers and yells echoed through the trees. The townspeople began to disperse, presumably to prepare for the coming storm. I slid my hand up the horses neck, stopping to scratch between his ears. I looked over my shoulder at the boys, who were all beaming. I shrugged.

"What? Was that not right?", I asked, suspicious. They all began to talk over one another about plans, excitement, how proud they were. It was cut short when Chase held a hand up as the elder approached our group. We all fell silent at his approach. He reached us at a snails pace, finally placing a flat palm on the horses rear. My mount flicked his ears, snorting at the excitement happening around us. The elder held a hand to me to help me down. I slid off with ease; he caught me gently at the ribs. He smiled wide.

"Only a true leader can do that, you know", he said cheekily, giving my shoulder a squeeze. I laughed lightly.

"You'll have to forgive me, I'm still new to the nuances of 'royalty'. I'm still wrapping my head around this whole situation of being the sole commander of this army", I said, meeting his tired eyes. He shook his head.

"Not at all. You have the boys as extensions of yourself. You will never be alone again. You shine far brighter than he ever did, and I spent the entirety of his short life with him. You're a true reincarnation, but in my professional opinion, a definite upgrade. You are a force of nature now, don't ever forget. Act like it, own it, and lead us to victory", the elder bowed to me, offering reverence. I fidgeted awkwardly. That did answer a little bit of the question I had about the DayDreamer's identity. So it truly was a man. Then why me? The elder rose, turning his attention to Arlan. I opened my mouth to speak, but Chase held a finger to his lips silently. I clutched my hands behind my back, anticipating the worst. Had I gotten him in trouble by letting him pledge his allegiance? I could only watch it play out and hope for the best.

"Arlan, my only son, you realize what you've pledged to her, do you not?", he said, giving Arlan a stern glare. He nodded hastily.

"It would be my greatest pleasure to assist her on her quest. This is for the greater good of our people, of every people living amongst the realms. As the realms grow smaller and the nightmares grow stronger, I feel it's my duty to help establish borders and keep the balance of life. Human and Elemental", he said matter of factly. The elder nodded, and gave Arlan a tight hug.

"Then you are ready, my son. I have taught you everything I know. Use it to serve her well. May your heart be strong and your will even stronger. This is my final parting gift to you", the elder said. I looked quickly between Gray and Chase, who both seemed in extraordinary amounts of pain. Physical or mental, I couldn't discern. I looked back at Arlan in time to see the elder hold his face inches from the boys; the boy inhaled deeply as tears rolled down his cheeks. The elder slowly turned into a fine green glitter, the same that Chase exhaled in the human world. The elder had a smile across his mouth as he was turned into nothing. Arlan inhaled deeply and quickly, taking the essence of his mentor in. As soon as the elder was gone, Arlan fell to his knees, sobbing. Chase and Gray both knelt on either side of him, rubbing his back, exchanging words of comfort. My heart felt immensely heavy. I felt for the loss of the elder, deep down within myself. It stirred my magic like I had never felt before.

The sound of a single horn broke the silence. More and more joined in as the seconds dragged on. It resonated somewhere deep with Arlan. I saw magic starting to circulate within him, following the pulse of the horns and now beating drums. He began to turn the same color as Chase. Was he to become another warrior? He stood, pulling his own horn out of his pack. A bulls horn, hollowed out, with a small hole drilled in the end. He raised it to the sky, taking a deep breath in. As he exhaled, glitter poured from the bone horn straight into the sky. He took his final form as a "warrior"; the marks began spreading over his skin. He was almost an exact copy of Chase, with the exception of the brand I had given him. It still glowed white, like embers dancing at the center of a fire. Arlan dropped his arm to his side, and the people of the town went back about their business. Arlan turned to us, a single tear still rolling down his cheek.

I couldn't help myself; I approached him and swiped the tear with my thumb. I held him by both shoulders.

"You belong to me now. I will treat you as my own", I said, gathering him in a tight hug. He wrapped his arms around me tightly for the brief embrace. I met his eyes again. He seemed confident; sure of his abilities. I gave him a smile while he brushed his messy hair over his shoulders. He wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks. His posture straightened out and he held his chin a little higher. He was ready to fight. I could feel it radiating from him. I couldn't help but smile again. I turned to Chase and Gray.

"Are you two supposed to have brands as well? What does it do?", I asked, curious. They exchanged a look.

"It gives you the ability to command us without verbal communication even with large distances between us. It protects us with the magic you have inside you, as in fatal wounds cannot be inflicted if we're in close enough proximity to you. It's also a status symbol for us. It's not something you can 'fake', so to speak. So if you send us on an errand or mission, the person expecting us will know for a fact we are sent directly from you. It does and means a whole host of things, but most importantly it tethers us to you for eternity. It has it's benefits", Gray said, taking my shoulder again. I looked between them, pausing at Arlan. That would explain why my body knew what to do when he begged to pledge himself. I hesitated.

"Do you want them?", I asked. Gray squeezed my shoulder. He wore a weak smile.

"Do you want to give them to us?", Chase asked, countering my question. He fidgeted.

"I won't ask again; do you want them?", I asked again, my voice muddled. I was so stoic that I honestly surprised myself. I stared deep into Chase's eyes, and he crossed his left arm over his chest and dropped to his knees. Gray did the same. Does this mean they do want them? Arlan stepped between us, holding his left arm across his chest as well, his fist clenched.

"Rise, warrior of Nature", he said. Chase rose to his feet. He avoided my eyes. I wondered why as I closed the small distance between us. I held my palm open, about to seal it to his chest. Arlan continued the spiel, Chase responding when necessary. I then pressed my hand firmly to him. The feeling of fire rose again, tingling at my fingertips. Chase groaned and his hand flew up to mine, holding my wrist tightly. I could see in his eyes that it was incredibly painful. I glanced down, watching the cracks in his aura heal. The skin gathered tightly back into it's proper patterns as if being stitched together. When I felt the fire recede, I gently pulled my hand away. Chase released his grip and he dropped back to his knees, his hands resting weakly on his thighs. Arlan took the branding so much better than Chase. I could have laughed. I also knelt, admiring my work. He threw his head back and huffed, relieved. I blew gently on it; it reacted the same way as Arlan's. The white glitter danced in the air momentarily. I met Chase's gaze. He beamed at me, his smile fitting his entire face. He rose to his feet again, crossing his arm across his chest.

"I, Chase, of the House of Nature, pledge myself as a squire to the Warrior of Light", he almost yelled. He was more excited than Arlan was, too. I sighed, turning my attention to Gray. He appeared to have some reservations about the ordeal. I stared deeply into his eyes and he was unable to escape. Was this the power that Chase had used on me in the human world? Arlan approached Gray. I held a hand up to signal him to stop. I didn't drop my gaze as I approached him. I slid my hand onto his forehead and he closed his eyes. His aura was one of pain and suffering, but I could also feel redemption. it confused me, but I decided I could work with it. Maybe I could even give him peace. I dropped my hand and his eyes opened as quickly as they closed.

"Well? Do you intend to pledge?", I asked. He shifted his weight. He quickly dropped to his knees.

"I, Gray, of the House of Lightning, pledge myself as a squire to the Warrior of Light", he said, his voice did not falter. He rose again, arms at his sides. I placed my palm to his chest and began expelling light into him, carving my mark. The more I did this, the easier it got. Gray did not make any facial expressions or sounds, nor did he flinch. He took the pain the best out of the three. Not shocking though, I suppose. I released my hand. Gray then smiled the most genuine smile I have ever seen. He grabbed me by my ribs and lifted me into the air, swinging me in a circle. He set me down and enveloped me in another smothering hug. I hoped that by binding himself to me, he relieved some of his anxiety, which it appeared to have worked. When he released me, all the boys began clamoring again, talking about where we should go next, what we should do, who to see. I held my hand up. They all fell silent.

"I want to return to the human realm", I stated. They all nodded. We had to take some of the offerings and retrieve our packs and we would be on our way.

. . . . . . . .

Author's note:

I cannot even believe how much this story has grown and how many of you seem to be enjoying it! It started out as a fever project; I had an idea that I just HAD to get out of my system. But the people who have read this far and want to continue reading and add this story to your collections; you're the reason I keep writing and I am eternally grateful for the support. Even if you're just reading to read, the views do matter to me. When I got up to 100 views I was shocked, and now we're almost at 4k total! you guys rock!!! An update though: I have been having a rough time at work (we are understaffed) and I apologize for a lack of communication with you guys. So I think the future chapters will probably be between 1-3 a week if things go well!