No. His mother was human, and surely that would prevent him from that change. Sasha gently ran her thumb over the top of his hand as she held it. She didn’t need the connection to feel his reaction to this news, no matter how expected it was. The others were silent, waiting for Legon to talk. The sun was peeking over the horizon, softening the air. The sky was turning to warm oranges and reds.
“And what class was he?” Legon asked
“Seven,” Arkin responded.
“And how was he killed?” Legon asked in a calm voice.
Arkin shifted as he sat. Legon knew that, as he had earlier, Arkin was attempting to draw strength from the litany.
“His party was ambushed by two dragons and a small ground force. He was in his Elven form when it happened, and even though he transformed it was too late.” Arkin hung his head low, looking at the ground. Sasha and Legon both had the realization at the same time.
Legon asked another question “You were one of his, weren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“And that is why you have taken this matter to heart, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Un Prosa. I am fulfilling my orders that I was left with, but also those of my heart.”
Arkin was much more than a carpenter after all. They were sad for him. He had dedicated his life to a master that was long dead and he had served with such faith and diligence. What was the carpenter going to do now?
Legon wanted to know more. “And when we reach safety and your duties are fulfilled, what will become of you?”
Arkin looked up at him with determination in his face and a fanatic fervor that, in their combined memories, they had never seen before.
“Your father was my Lord. And as I belonged to him, so too shall I belong to you. I am under orders for now, but once those are fulfilled and you are recognized, I will be under your command.”
“You are willing to continue giving your life for us?” Legon asked, for he was giving his life. It was easy to die for a cause or a leader. It only took a moment of time. But to give your life was truly hard because it required a constant sacrifice that few could make.
“Until you have no need for me or I die, yes, I will give,” Arkin said.
Chapter Eighteen
“Most of our lives we feel as if the weight of the world is on our shoulders, though we know it is not. Sometimes, however, it is; so choose wisely.”
The gravity of Arkin’s pronouncement would have to be considered later. Right now Legon knew that Arkin was in command and he didn’t care to challenge it, though clarity of his situation was coming as a result of finding out that he was the one spoken of in the prophecy. The Queen was going to try and secure herself a new kind of slave, despite his thought that it was unlikely that the Iumenta would believe in prophecies. The Queen was intelligent and would see the threat of having the people who resisted her, not to mention her subjects, thinking that their time of deliverance was at hand. But this principle could work in her favor. If she managed to produce the real Everser Vald then it would solidify her control in the empire and weaken the resolve and credibility of the resistance.
Both sides had played a dangerous game. However, the Queen was right to try and capture or kill him. As for the Elves, their play was to see what direction he was going in, then, if need be, take out the threat. With that in mind, he wasn’t sure if Arkin would have been able to do it.
This was a call to arms. He needed to make a choice of what he was to be, but the choice had already been made for him. If he abandoned them to go off on his own, the Queen would gain at least a small victory in that the resistance would have placed hope in a false icon. Still, the resistance would make mistakes, and in so doing would cause suffering and injustice. By standing with them he would be marked with that blood and the blood of those that died in his cause.
There was a pit in his stomach. No matter what choice he made, people would die and there would be suffering. This wasn’t just his decision, he realized. It was Sasha’s as well, and whether he liked it or not she was now just as much a part of this future as he was.
They were getting ready to leave camp. Sasha was busy but he still brushed against her consciousness, looking for her counsel. As they conversed, they agreed that he would make the logical decision and that she would validate its ethics. She hated to do this, but he knew that Arkin wasn’t lying when he said that Sasha was the most pure person he’d met. It wasn’t going to be a choice of whether to join the Iumenta or the Elves, but rather to join the Elves or hide for the rest of their lives. She saw the problems in both, but said that the right thing to do for the many was to join the Elves. Logic said that they would die if they hid and that many would die if they joined the Elves, but it also said that the Queen would continue to enslave and kill her own subjects, as well as try and conquer the resistance. It wasn’t a question of the short term effects; either way had bloody results in the fairly near future. The decision needed to be made for the far distant generations. What choice was best for the unborn? What choice would secure the lives of those who would not live for hundreds of years to come? And would it be a world they would want to live in?
Sasha’s voice rang in his head. “This war will happen with or without us, and even if we are picking the losing side, this is the right call. It is better for us to have our hands stained with blood trying to do the right thing than have them stained with cowardice.”
He agreed with her and finished preparing to leave. He had no doubt that the empire would be sending more people to find them; it was just a question of when and who. If it were men then they might be ok; they only had two days to go. If it were Iumenta, they were dead, and if it was a Dragon… well, there was always the hope that he would at least cause the foul creature to get a stomach ache.
Humor aside, he did feel like they would make it. He could always make the horses run fast again, but was hesitant because even with magic they could only take so much. But now was the time to act-of that there was no question. This was bigger than both of them and he wasn’t going to let those he cared about down. He had been kneeling over a bag and stood up much faster then he’d intended, so fast it would have just been a blur to the others. Arkin held out a hand.
“Sorry, I’m still getting used to this new me. It’s an odd sensation feeling out of place in your own body.” Legon said.
This wasn’t a lie. Before, physical things weren’t hard for him. He was strong, but now if he wanted to do something it just seemed to happen of its own accord. He had to be careful when he walked so as not to look like he was running around the camp. From the minds of the others he was aware that he was…well, for lack of a better term, graceful. With the new and better sense of balance and the ability to feel everything, he just moved easily. Apparently it looked graceful to the others.
There were other differences, too. He could hear all of their hearts beating, and feel the heat off their bodies. He even swore he felt energy coming from them when they moved. He noticed every detail now even to the point of seeing skin flush and perspiration increase. He had seen some of that before, but not like this; now he saw it all.
Sara was the oddest. He knew she found him attractive; with the mental network there weren’t a lot of secrets and Sasha had a big mouth when she thought she could set someone up. But that being said, when he locked eyes with Sara he heard her heart speed up and saw blood rush to her face. Did that always happen to girls? Maybe it did and he could just see it now, but it was uncomfortable. Her thoughts about him were…well, she hid them well, but apparently she was happy with the new him.