43

And You Are My Masterpiece

Time slowed as Dylan watched Nero raise his sword high and thrust it down in the direction of his heart. He raised his arm and rolled away as the blade sliced open his forearm. The momentum carried Nero forward, and Dylan returned the blow with an elbow to Nero’s ribs, knocking him off the roof.

Dylan clutched his bleeding forearm and lay back on the roof. He was still for a moment and breathed a sigh of disbelief. Slowly, he peered over the edge, hoping to see a lifeless corpse. Instead, he saw Nero dangling from a hideous gargoyle that stared down at him mockingly. He could only hang on with one hand, for his wounded hand had little strength left in it.

Taya and Nima watched silently.

Nero struggled to pull himself up but was unable. He swung his feet wildly, trying to walk up the wall, but the distance between the gargoyle and the side of the castle was too great. His good hand held on while the bloodied hand helped sporadically. He fought for a while and then gave up and hung motionless.

No words passed between them, but Dylan felt an uneasy connection as he stared into the eyes of his father’s son. Everything before him slowed as Nero’s hand weakened. The king blinked and smiled up his brother.

“Life,” he hissed, “is a curse.” Nero gasped one last time. “Death…is the cure.” Then he threw both of his arms away from the castle.

“Ahhhhh!”

Two guards flew into the room. “What is it, Sir?”

“Whoa!” Dylan panted, rubbing his forehead. “It was just…just a bad dream.”

The two guards searched his chamber.

“It’s okay,” he reassured. “It was just a nightmare.”

Dylan splashed water on his face and pondered the dream as he stared at his rippling reflection in the water basin. A few moments later, he was dressed and heading toward Taya’s room. They met in the hall.

“We have to go!” he stated quickly.

She smiled sadly. “I know.”

Dylan and Taya set off for the dining hall. On the way, Dylan ordered a guard to invite Ravelle. They entered the hall and sat down at the table set for three.

“You scared me last night, Ravelle,” Dylan said as his mentor walked in and sat down.

Ravelle looked up at him curiously.

“You don’t remember coming to my room? In the middle of the night?”

Ravelle continued to stare at him. “No. I came to your room? Why would I do that?”

“You said, ‘it is time.’”

“Well, isn’t that curious? I don’t remember.”

“Where do we find Queen Gaia, and how do we transfer the power to her?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh my God!” Dylan slapped his face with his hands and exploded. “You continually remind me that I am to give up Aarial, and when I finally agree, you tell me that you don’t know how I should do so!”

“I’m sorry, Dylan. Some of my knowledge comes from conversations from the past; some of it comes from dreams. I am old, and I have trouble remembering details these days. Ore, one of the first possessors of Aarial, first told me about Queen Gaia—that was over two hundreds years ago. I must have had a dream last night that told me the time had come.”

“You’re going on a dream?”

“Don’t discount my dreams!” Ravelle countered angrily. “My dreams are very real. Have I ever wronged you?”

“No. I’m sorry, Ravelle. I’m just a little anxious.” Dylan paused for a moment. “What now? Where should we go from here?”

“My advice is that you return to where it all started.”

“To Stellar Hall?”

“No, think back even further. What happened before you came to Stellar Hall?”

“The Gnarled Oak!”

Ravelle nodded, and Dylan continued. “Yes, that makes sense. Perhaps we can learn something there.”

“The Gnarled Oak is where it all began. Return, and you will learn of Queen Gaia.”

Dylan ordered the guards to tell Ettore and Jadar to meet him and Taya outside. Then he and his sister swallowed a few bites and tossed some bread and cheese into their packs.

“We have to keep this quiet, Taya. I don’t want anyone to know. We’ll tell those who ask that we’re returning to Duffle for an inspection.”

Ettore and Jadar met them in the courtyard.

“We’re going to Duffle, Ettore. We would like to get there as quickly as possible.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Once harnesses had been attached to the trogs, they took flight. Ettore carried Dylan, and Jadar, Taya. They flew low over the villages so their passengers could view the reconstruction. Everything appeared to be returning to normal. The towns looked better than they ever had. New, better-constructed buildings had replaced dilapidated structures.

The trogs needed frequent rests and much water, but they did not complain. They stopped in several communities so Dylan and Taya could speak with the residents. The siblings were honored in every village. People thanked them for their freedom and independence—things they had never experienced.

At last, Ettore announced, “Duffle is near. We will be there before the sun sets.”

Dylan had been paying attention to the sun. He had watched it rise and continue its arc throughout the day. The world is so beautiful from up above, he thought. Meandering rivers divided open valleys and lush forests. Lakes spotted the landscape and sparkled in the sunlight.

Now the sun was on the horizon, creating another kind of beauty. Everything was bathed in an orange and pink glow. Just as the sun dipped beyond the horizon, Dylan saw the lights of Duffle flicker in the distance.

The trogs landed on a deserted path in the middle of town. Dylan thanked Ettore and Jadar. The trogs did not want to leave them there, but Dylan insisted and told them that they would get word to them when they were needed again.

“Where should we spend the night?” Dylan asked his sister.

“I think we should go straight to the Gnarled Oak,” Taya responded. “We don’t want to have to explain ourselves to anyone. If we leave tonight, no one in Duffle will even know we were here.”

The two of them made their way out of town via the back streets. Everyone appeared to be in their homes, preparing meals. They peered into several windows and took in the warmth of family dinners. Just outside of town, they stopped and ate the last of their rations by moonlight.

“I miss Duffle, Dylan. I want to come back here. I don’t want to rule. I want to remain in Duffle and live a normal life.”

“There’s nothing stopping you, Taya. As soon as we transfer Aarial, we will lose the hold we have over people. They may continue to admire us for the work we’ve done, but their respect will be genuine. Right now, part of their admiration is involuntary. They may not even know it, but they revere Aarial, not us.”

“Will you come home with me, Dylan?”

“I don’t know, Taya.” Dylan lowered his head.

“Well, where else will you go?”

“I can’t tell you that because I don’t know. If I can, I’ll return to Duffle. That’s where I belong.”

Dylan stood and grabbed Taya by the hand. The two of them walked in silence.

Taya stopped at Gilmore Pond. “Do you remember the fun we had here? That seems like such a long time ago.”

Dylan did not speak. He took one last look at the pond, gazed up at the heavens, and continued on. The full moon guided their path to the Gnarled Oak. Dylan placed both of his hands on the tree.

“What now?” Taya asked.

“We climb.”

Taya’s gaze travelled up the trunk and locked on the platform that surrounded the tree. She squinted and scratched her head.

“What is that? The branches have changed into a platform.”

“You’ll see.”

Within minutes, he was up the tree and resting inside the tree-bark nest. Taya climbed slowly, cautiously. She peered over the rim, and Dylan pulled her in. They sat on the outer edge and bathed in the faint glow that emanated from the center of the tree.

The intensity of light grew gradually. Then a sudden blast of radiance shot up like a geyser and returned to a dull glow. Dylan slid across the slippery surface to the light, and Taya followed. He sat on one side of the beam and invited Taya to sit on the other side so that they were face-to-face. Dylan placed his fingertips on Taya’s temples and instructed her to mirror his action.

Another blast of light shot up between them. The powerful beam separated their minds from their electrified, convulsing bodies and transformed them into all-seeing, all-knowing entities. They sensed intense cold and scorching heat, dry air and air so thick with moisture they could taste it. For the first time, Taya viewed what Dylan had been seeing—deserts, rainforests, mountains, oceans passed before them. Every landscape was dependent upon the other, every living creature connected to its environment. The whole world breathed as one.

At great speed, they soared straight up into the heavens and hovered for a moment—mindful of their surroundings, unaware of their bodies. Then down, down, down, back to earth and into familiar tunnels, through Stellar Hall and into the river that flowed underground. They seeped deeper and deeper into the earth and then…nothing, beyond silence, beyond darkness—an absence of matter.

A celestial voice rose up, unlike any sound they had ever heard. With the haunting melody, a glowing ember floated up and down gently. As the melody waned, the light dimmed. Then the voice spoke and the ember returned.

“I am Gaia; I am the earth.” The female voice seeped into their pores and touched them deep within. “I am an artist, and you are my masterpiece. There was a time when I was known to the human species, but you have lost touch. I bestowed Aarial upon your ancestors with the hope of bringing humans back to me. How could I have foreseen the corrupt nature of the human spirit? Aarial was not meant for personal gain.”

The voice paused and the light dimmed.

“Dylan and Taya, the two of you have proven to be worthy receptacles, but it is time to return the power to me so that I can use it to heal. For centuries, it has been within my grasp, but now I need it in its entirety. I considered retrieving it before your father transferred it to you, but that would have left Nero alone and created a greater imbalance. Without you, Nero would have been unstoppable.”

The light dimmed as the voice stopped, and they were in complete darkness again. Moments passed. The light brightened, and Gaia started again.

“I am in need of repair, for mankind has caused great damage to my being. I am an artist, and my creation is being destroyed. Of all my children, only the human child has had the ability to alter my creation. Now that Aarial is returned to me, I will attempt to repair the damage. I…am the earth.”

Again, the light dimmed as the voice faded.

“Taya.” The ember brightened. “You are to educate. Create a collective consciousness of respect for all that I provide. Parts of me are ailing, and as a result, every living creature is ailing—we breathe as one; we are a single organism. The human species will not survive without me. The lives of all creatures depend on what you do. Spread the word and bring the human animal back to me.”

The haunting tune returned with the glowing ember.

“Dylan, you have demonstrated great strength and courage. Where your ancestors failed, you succeeded. Your mission is complete.”

And with those words, everything went dark.

A flare surged into Dylan’s convulsing body. “No! No! No! It can’t be over. I need a mission. I need the journey.”

The light brightened. “Your mission is over. Your journey has just begun.”

Dylan’s head dropped to his chest. “I need a mission. I need the journey,” he chanted quietly.

The geyser of light between the brother and sister faded slowly, and as it did, the Gnarled Oak began to crumble. Branches fell off and large strips of bark peeled away from the trunk. Then the light died, and a loud creaking resonated from the base of the tree. Within seconds, it crashed to the ground and shook the very earth that had given it life.