The Fountain and the Flame: Chapter Seven

Illustration Credit: Dean Zachary, Forest Giant, designed for the Lightraiders Adventure Bible System.

A READER-DIRECTED STORY

The Creator of All Things has opened a window to another world—a portal. We can’t step through this portal, but we may reach through with our minds.

The Creator has invited us to act as watchkeepers over Kaia and the friends she will meet along a dangerous path that lies ahead. The watchkeepers must work together to help Kaia make good choices. These choices will not always be easy, and Kaia may not always do as we ask, for she is strong-willed. Will you accept this challenge with us?

If you desire to take on the mantle of watchkeeper, please use the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom to answer the question posed at the end of each chapter of Kaia’s story.

THE FOUNTAIN AND THE FLAME

[Note from the author: Welcome back to the Lightraiders realm and the story of Kaia, Nisa, and Luco. If you’re new here, go back and check out chapters one through six. Even if you’re not new to this realm, it’s been a while since the last chapter, so re-reading the others might help. I’m also adding a Bible reference for each chapter starting with this one.]

BIBLE REFERENCE

Please take a moment to read Psalm 124 “The LORD Is on Our Side.”

On whom do you lean in your struggles, and to whom do you give credit for your victories?

The creature encountered in today’s chapter offers worldly power at a great price. Can you think of examples of such offers in our world today or in your own life?

CHAPTER SEVEN

Click Here for Chapter Six

Kaia helped Nisa to her feet and pointed. “To the road, Nisa. Find your brother!”

Nisa gave no argument. She set off at a run while Kaia backed into a clearing with Raz, trying to see what sort of creature could shake the earth and part the forest.

Each quaking seemed stronger than the last, threatening to throw her off her feet again. The trees creaked and groaned. Brush and branches snapped. Yet, Kaia still couldn’t see their foe.

Raz barked.

“Shh!” Kaia held out a hand to hush him. “It’ll hear you.”

She needn’t have worried about noise from the fox. From the road, Nisa screamed.

Nisa had been the one to sing the song. Nisa had drawn the creature to them—to herself.

Kaia ran. She came out of the trees several paces from the screaming child. A giant of clay, vines, bark, and branches towered over Nisa.

The giant glared down at the little girl with deep-set points of gleaming green set in a face of scarred bark. It balled a clay fist armored in stones and thorns and hauled up its arm as if to pound her into the dirt.

Fear broke Kaia’s stride for less than a heartbeat. She redoubled her speed. Even so, she couldn’t outpace the giant’s falling fist—not enough to sweep Nisa away. She caught Nisa up in her arms and turned to shield her.

The fist landed with an earth-shaking crunch, but Kaia felt no pain.

She opened one eye and then the other. The creature had planted its fist in the road beside her. Slowly turning, Kaia found the giant kneeling, head bowed so that its long moss beard brushed the dirt. Great, moss-covered branches hung over her, growing like antlers from its head.

The groaning and creaking she’d heard before sounded from its monstrous clay and vine chest along with a thumping like rocks tumbling in a hollow log. Words formed in Kaia’s mind in rhythmic time with this strange music.

Friend. Liege. Command me.

Was it speaking to her? Kaia wasn’t interested in a conversation.

Nisa trembled in her arms. Kaia tried to back away, but the giant pounded its other fist into the road, and she froze.

Raz came out of the forest, barking and growling. Kaia cast him a warning glance. “Stay back,” she said through gritted teeth. “You can’t fight this one. It’s far too big.”

The voice came to her again under the groaning and thumping.

Friend. Liege. Command me.

A powerful ally I’ll be.

Liege. Was it speaking of her liege runes? Kaia set Nisa down, keeping her close, and held her bandaged arm out to the giant. Behind Nisa, she wrapped her other hand the cold hilt at her belt—Aethia, the dagger Luco had given her.

The creature paid her bandaged runes no mind. It lifted its brow enough to meet her gaze.

Queensblood. Liege. Command me.

A powerful ally I’ll be.

I’ll make for you a glorious home and seat you on a timber throne.

Friend. Liege. Command me.

The giant’s eyes brightened, green flames flaring, and it shifted its attention to Nisa. The vine lips turned up into a snarling grin.

And feed me.

“No! Leave her alone!” Kaia turned to yank Nisa back and shoved the dagger up under the creature’s beard. She felt the edge slice into fresh wood.

The giant let out a howl and reared up, fist unfurling to swipe at the two girls. Kaia pushed Nisa out of the way, but she could not fully dodge the blow. A clay finger grazed her side and sent her rolling into the ditch. The dagger flew from her hand.

In her fall, she saw a figure running up the road. “Nisa!”

Luco. He’d come back.

Kaia crawled out of the ditch to see him pulling his sister away. The giant bellowed at them in its deep, reverberating howl. A sticky green mess matted its beard, some blend of sap and fungus. Giant blood? Kaia had scored a wound and made it wary. The creature had done the same to her. Her side stung from its blow.

She couldn’t let pain worry her. Luco held his white staff with both hands, standing between the giant and his sister. In only two strides, the creature might come close enough to smash him.

The groaning and thumping intensified.

Queensblood. Friend. Command me.

I’ll destroy him and serve thee.

Luco shook his staff. “Not a chance, foul corruption! Stay back!”

The words within the thumping had sounded in Kaia’s mind. Had Luco heard them as well?

He advanced, shouting in the Elder Tongue.

Kaia recognized ke’Krafor and ke’Premor—the Maker and the Lord—words her mother and father had often spoken in prayer, but she understood little else.

The giant reeled as if struck by his cry. A thick vine snaking around its shoulder split and cracked. Luco rushed in and swung the steel bear’s head of his staff at the creature’s ankle and broke another vine.

It seemed a futile strike—a mouse clawing at a lion—yet Luco’s attack hobbled the creature enough that when it tried to swat him away, he easily dodged. He had time to scoop something up from the road.

Aethia. Luco had recovered the dagger.

He jogged back, focused on the creature’s head, as if gauging the distance and angle, then hesitated and looked to Kaia. He threw Aethia so that the dagger stuck into the dirt at her feet. “Take it!”

Stunned, Kaia stared at the weapon. “What?”

“Hurl the dagger at the creature’s eye. I saw you pierce the ash before. You claim to be an archer, so show your aim once again!”

Kaia picked up the dagger, and the giant turned her way and growled. She stumbled back and shot a glance at Luco. “I meant to cast it into the brush!”

“Stop arguing! Say a prayer to the Maker and throw the dagger!”

Fear took hold. Kaia’s side throbbed and her limbs stiffened. The giant’s thumping song filled her thoughts.

Queensblood. Liege. Command me.

Feed me.

Or die.

It staggered her way, fists like boulders ready to strike.

Again, Luco shouted a prayer in the Elder Tongue, overpowering the giant’s voice in Kaia’s mind. “Hal zowerenu fi num ke’Premor, mi shema po pamar ke’Krafor.”

This time, she understood.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,

the Maker of heaven and earth.

The bond of fear fell away. Kaia whispered a prayer of her own, “You are sovereign. Protect us. Guide my aim.” And she let the Aethia fly.

The dagger sank into the giant’s left eye and snuffed out the green flame. It fell back and crashed into the trees.

Luco let out a cheer and ran at the monster with the barking fox chasing after him. Before either could strike, the giant scrambled to its feet. It fled, hunched and hobbling, into the forest.

The three stood in silence for some time, breathing hard and staring after the creature, until Luco finally went to kneel before his sister. “Are you all right?”

She threw her arms around him and cried. After a time she sniffed and nodded. “Kaia protected me.”

“Yes she did. But for a little while, perhaps you should stay with me.” Rising, Luco took her hand and set off for the fork. He cast Kaia a nod they passed. “I’ll go and fetch that bow.”

“Wait!” Kaia ran to catch up. “Aren’t we going to talk about what just happened.”

“Must we? I heard Nisa scream. I came running. You protected her—thank you. What more do you want?”

What was wrong with him? “A monster came out of the forest and tried to crush your sister. Then it tried to crush you and me. I’d say such an ordeal is worthy of a little discussion, wouldn’t you? What sort of creature was it? Will it come back? Were you as terrified as I was, or does this sort of thing happen to you all the time?”

Luco sighed, and turned. “A giant is a dragon a soulless dragon corruption of the Maker’s creation—like the ore creatures—meant to tempt and torture the Aladoth.” He pointed the bear’s head at Kaia and then himself. “The Aladoth are you and me—all mankind.”

Kaia’s eyes narrowed. “To tempt mankind. Is the temptation what I heard in my head?”

“Song sorcery. A giant offers friendship and power in exchange for compromise. For me, it offered lordship of House Fulcor, likely smelling my noble blood.”

“And the compromise?”

“I was to give you over as a captive.” He frowned. “Before you ask, I would never do such a thing. Even if I would, a giant will only demand greater and greater sacrifices until you have nothing left. And then it eats you. That is the dragon deceit that animates its kind.”

The giant had smelled Luco’s noble blood. But it had offered Kara a throne as well. What did that mean? She almost asked him, but a warning like a pit in her stomach stopped her. She chose a different question, instead. “The Elder Tongue words you shouted, was that counter-sorcery?”

He gave a firm shake of his head. “No, and you must rid yourself of such a notion. True power lies only in the hands of the Maker. I spoke a verse from the Sacred Scrolls both as a prayer and a declaration of his might. His truth wounded the creature by striking at the lies that animate it.” Luco met her eye and smiled. “And your good aim wounded it as well—grievously so.”

Kaia blushed. “I had help from the Maker, too.”

“Good. We must both lean on his grace and might. I fear we’ll face many more dragon corruptions in the days ahead.” He turned with his sister toward the fork once more. “I’m grateful, you know—for the way you defended Nisa. I’m impressed by your courage.”

He said no more about it, even when Kaia tried to apologize for throwing the dagger at the tree and then losing it in the giant’s eye.

“Aethia was your blade to wield as you saw fit,” Luco told her, raising his voice as he and Nisa walked away. “I’m not offended.” The two disappeared around a bend, on their way to the marsh town of Lemoth Keras.

Kaia and Raz stuck to the main road and waited for Luco and Nisa at the crossroads to the south. This walk, alone with the fox, gave Kaia time to think.

Noble blood.

Queensblood. Liege. Command me.

Queensblood.

Her side ached until it hurt so much, she paused and lifted her tunic to take a look.

The giant had done more than bruise her when it knocked her into the ditch. Its thorns had scratched her, leaving three marks. The flesh had grown pink and swollen, and around the cuts, she saw the same green sap that had matted the giant’s beard after she stabbed it.

Kaia touched the wound and winced, sucking in a breath. Raz sniffed at the moldy sap and wrinkled his nose. She brushed him away and let the tunic fall into place. “It’s fine. Only scratches.”

The fox whimpered, as if to say, Are you sure?

There’d been a change in how Luco looked at Kaia when he’d praised her courage. She’d gained a greater estimation in his eyes. Why spoil it by whining about a few scratches?

“I’m fine,” she said to Raz. “The wound will heal in a couple of days, just like the new liege rune. And don’t give me away to Luco, do you hear?”

They reached the crossroads without encountering another soul or creature, and didn’t have to wait long for the others. When Luco and Nisa arrived, he proudly presented Kaia with a bow and a quiver of arrows to sling at her hip. “For the giant-fighter,” he said. “May your aim always remain so true.”

Kaia thanked him, but when she slung the quiver, the strap brushed her wound, and she winced.

Luco cocked his head. “What’s wrong? Are you wounded?”

Watch-keepers, what should Kaia do? Should she:

1. Tell Luco about the wound and ask for his help?
2. Keep the wound to herself so she won’t look weak in his eyes?

Comment your vote via the “Leave a Reply” box at the bottom of this post.

James R. Hannibal
Award-Winning Author & Former Stealth Pilot

About James
Former stealth pilot, James R. Hannibal is no stranger to secrets and adventure. He has been shot at, locked up with surface to air missiles, and chased down a winding German road by an armed terrorist. He is a two-time Silver Falchion award-winner for his Section 13 mysteries for kids and a Thriller Award nominee for his Nick Baron covert ops series for adults.

Learn more at https://jamesrhannibal.com/