Known Afterlife (The Provider Trilogy, Volume One) (2 page)

"Faith you say," Vejax said over his shoulder, finally retorting to Steffor's earlier statement. "I have faith. I believe the Provider will grant me victory. My faith is no different
than a harvest Shifter or field Mystic, yet neither one of them possess the skills necessary to go down this ancient trail, much less dive." With the sound of his own words restoring his bountiful confidence, he quickly added,  "My faith equals both talent and power. I am in my prime. You—a naive novice with freakish luck about to run dry—have much to learn. You will need more than faith if you intend to survive the day."

Steffor grimaced in response to his friend's statement. It was not the words clamping his thoughts in uncertainty; they were all true, from the need to respect
Vejax's power to his own freakish luck. No, it was his perspective on life, fueling his faith that caused him to pause in solemn introspection. Up to this moment, Steffor had given this unique paradigm little thought.

Since watching his first "live" dive race at age eleven, a race won by Vejax, Steffor's mission in life had been to be the greatest
dive champion in history. Why now, fourteen years later, moments before competing in his first dive championship, does he question why and how he had managed to manifest his life so perfectly?
If Vejax only knew how much of an understatement 'freakish luck' was in describing how I came to this moment.

Steffor let the troubling question drift from his mind as he looked down at h
is friend's head and shoulders. He admired the Teuton's braided ponytail extending down to the base of his broad back, ending with three short tails from the last knot. Steffor reached around to feel his own ponytail ending at the base of his neck, a stark reminder of his youth and his mentor's vast experience.

Other than the length and color of their ponytails
—Steffor rich auburn, Vejax jet black—there was very little separating the two physically. Both men stood a full head taller and weighed twice that of an average Citizen, inhabiting bodies created to protect the Provider's Citizens: a muscular build with broad backs and powerful limbs, equipped with heightened senses. Physical traits today, more often than not, relegated to competing in the Guardian Games.

Content to focus his energy on the next colossal step and continue with his mental preparations for the dive race now rapidly approaching
—in addition to simply being lost for words—Steffor let Vejax's comment hang in the open the remainder of the trek down the staircase.

Their vertical passage ended at the corner of a large deck shifted from the remnant material of the staircase. The floor of Relston's Landing, patterned with alternating herringbone grains, shined with a rich veneer. Shifted from the e
dge of the floor, a chest high wall bordered the square deck on all four sides, giving the landing the appearance of an open box. Ornate etchings shifted along each wall depicted the ongoing events throughout the dive's colorful and long history. Last year’s championship, depicted on the wall closest to the entrance, captured the essence of Vejax's runaway victory: standing on the Deagron Fields with arms held high in victory long before either opponent cleared the last amphitheater.

In the far corner adjac
ent from the staircase, Grimlock sat cross-legged in front of a round opening in the floor. Grimlock by all standards was a giant: a head taller and twice the mass of an average sized Guardian. Nobody was more surprised than Grimlock to see him in this year's dive championship. Grimlock and his ability to dive were just now hitting stride. A champion many times over in the joust and wrestling, life had just started to slow down long enough for him to open the secrets required to dive. Where Grimlock was the epitome of beginner's luck, Steffor was simply an enigma.

As always, Grimlock's baby face and jovial smile negated all size intimidation and the three quickly commenced with their customary greeting: the crossing of right forearms in tandem with a firm em
brace with the left arm, ended with a vigorous thump to the back.

"What took you so long?" Grimlock asked with mock puzzlement. Steffor and Vejax smirked at the obvious joke, well aware that Grimlock's journey was a fraction of their own. He could have wai
ted atop the staircase but neither were disappointed he did not. Grimlock, all kindness aside, tended to ramble about the mundane and made it difficult to concentrate. Ironically, it was his ability to channel that single mindedness contributing to his recent success in the dive.

Civilities completed, the three men turned to the wide opening in the floor and looked down the long chute that would take them the remainder of the way to the Deagron Fields.

Grimlock faced them and said, "May the Provider guide your path today."

"May the Provider guide yours as well," Steffor and Vejax replied in kind.

With that, Grimlock jumped into the opening feet first and disappeared down the chute. Steffor turned to face Vejax, anticipating his friend’s probing stare.
Vejax will be spectacular today and create history in his own unique way.
The image filled Steffor’s heart with joy, enabling him to remove lingering thoughts of doubt, tucking them away to ponder another day. Soon they will begin the long ascent to the top of the world and finally start the dive championship; his mind, body and soul had already started the process of drawing in the Source.

"I agree with you," Steffor said at that moment, picking up from where their conversation had ended. "It will require
more than faith to win today's race." Vejax opened and shut his mouth several times to reply, but in the end gave Steffor a quick nod of agreement before jumping down the chute. For separate reasons, Steffor's final statement had a disturbing effect on both Guardians.

*****

Vejax slowed his pace, in no hurry to reach his dive lift. Normally, the soft crackle of tall heather brushing against his garments was all it took to trigger the intense process of actively visualizing his pending victory in the dive. But alas, a rare bout with insecurity had quelled his desire to start the dive championship. For the first time, Vejax could not conjure a vision for his immediate future.

Absent of a remedy, he eased his progress across the short stretch of Deagron Fi
elds and concentrated his sight and mind on the vine Shifters patiently awaiting his arrival. Shrouded by the midday sun centered within the expansive horizon beyond, their stout frames along with the thick vine cables stationed between them and soaring high above, knifed long shadows across his path. Prepared for the strenuous task ahead of elevating Vejax and his lift to the Provider's peak, in that moment, he envied the definiteness of their respective roles.

Steffor's parting words might not have bother
ed Vejax if it were not for their timing and similarity to the message he had received at the Provider's archway: 
This is your moment. Faith has no past or future, now is all that matters.
The Provider's message was nothing new to Vejax. Indeed, he made a daily practice of meditating to various passages in the Deeds providing similar guidance. For that matter, his personal connection with the Provider was built on his understanding of what it meant to live in the
now
. Regardless, he could not dismiss as simple coincidence how the word
faith
came into play with both Steffor and the Provider.

Pull it together man! Steffor has always had this affect on you. You know the reason why, now is the time to be honest about it. Steffor's faith is different.
As Vejax gave voice to his concerns, a small wave of confidence moved inside, spurring him down a path of reason he had seen the moment he met Steffor, but feared to explore until now.

It was neither the depth of Steffor's faith or his commitment as a Guardian that
troubled Vejax. From the day Steffor discovered his calling—saving hundreds of lives in the process—his raw ability to shift the Source had been equal to that of a seasoned Teuton. Score after score of heroic acts had been recorded in the Deeds since completing his apprenticeship over ten years ago; acts of bravery and self-sacrifice rivaled by none in history of the same age. Moreover, while his craft was still rough and growing, few disagreed that Steffor would be the next to forge his Teuton Staff.

Do I
envy Steffor's growth as a Guardian?
As in the past, Vejax answered the self-effacing gut check with an assured no. Steffor, his youthful exuberance aside, was one of the few people Vejax could truly relate. Fifty years ago, Vejax was a young Guardian experiencing a similar rise in fame. As he had witnessed in his younger friend, Vejax avoided the pressure to exceed oneself through the growth of his personal relationship with the Provider.

Is the issue related to my competitive nature in the Guardian Games?
After all, it was hard to argue, assuming the rate of success to date continued, that Steffor would soon be the most successful dive champion in history, regardless of the outcome in today's championship. Despite Vejax’s constant barrage of competitive jabs, he knew in his heart that their healthy competition held no animosity toward the other. He was content to give his all in every race and accept the outcome. It was, after all, simply a contest.

No, Steffor's shared love for the dive only made him more
endearing to Vejax. He was proud to call Steffor a friend and grateful for the opportunity to mentor his growth in this lifetime. Likewise, Steffor's presence had contributed to Vejax's ongoing growth in ways he only now realized possible.

Realities of whi
ch made discovery of his real dilemma all the harder. While he could not articulate the reason, Vejax knew Steffor's relentless questioning of the proven truth fostered the seed of his discontent. How, since first meeting the young man, had Steffor constantly pushed at the edges of The Citizens Creed: the very laws that separated Citizen from animal, bestowed upon man on the Day of Discovery when Mystic first synced with the Deeds.

From the first day I met Steffor, my intuition was trying to tell me so
mething. And as I have done with every encounter since that day, I suppressed the one voice, my proven guide, that, when listened to, always spoke the truth.
Encouraged by the realization, Vejax stopped in his tracks and sent his mind out in search of the nearest Mystic.

"Joy to you Citizen Vejax. How may I help advance your journey?" The Mystic, heard in his mind and registering by the name of Domilton, was faint but enthusiastic. Vejax surmised, given how far he was from the closest village and the fact t
hat the next closest Mystic was currently being allocated for the upcoming broadcast of the dive championship, Domilton must be a young field Mystic, assigned to the lower regions of the Trunk to spend most his days in deep introspection.

"Joy to you Citiz
en Domilton," Vejax replied. "I seek season 10,371, Lake Arol, Guardian Apprentice Induction, Master Kilton's introductory lecture."

Vejax waited while the Domilton searched according to his parameters and was grateful for the prompt connection that foll
owed a few seconds later. A satisfied smile crossed Vejax's face as the first images to flood his mind’s eye were of the majestic knot lake and the village shifted along its mountainous south side. He allowed his mind to take a quick detour and travel down the narrow avenues running the length and width of the mountainside. He crossed over the many vine bridges spanning the falls that crested the lake's curved rim, ending his side trip at the House of Kilton shifted from the smooth rim, where as a young apprentice he had rested after long, toiling days of training.

The nostalgic trip down memory lane provided an unexpected but welcome lift to his spirits, a palpable gift he greedily accepted and stowed deep into the pockets of his soul.

He doubled back and re-synced with his requested search, sending him northeast across the lake. Vejax slowed his approach, still not certain what it was he sought by visiting an event that occurred long ago. The day had marked his return to Lake Arol since leaving twenty-one years prior, a time in his life when the mandatory season spent training others felt like an eternity. He was a brash, young Guardian then, itching to carve his name into the Deeds. Vejax chuckled at the irony as he did the day he returned the second go around as a recently anointed Teuton, who was then excited to share his wisdom with the latest batch of apprentices.

It was a diverse group of recruits that season, both in age and background; the recent discovery of ordained powers the one and only trait eac
h shared in common. Only twelve seasons old, Steffor was the youngest. But he was the boldest. Armed with an intelligence unencumbered by wisdom, none was prepared for his innocuous charisma or the influence it would have on everyone, including Vejax.

He c
ast his spell on all of us that very first day. A blissful spell, ignorant of its existence, but an incantation on the soul all the same. But was it simply the charm of youthful inquiry, or was it something more...perverse.
Encouraged by the fresh scent, the shape of his inquiry finally coming into focus, Vejax approached the moment in time he had requested with renewed hope.

An aerial view of the tri-hulled ship came into view a second later, its broad leaf sails taut with a strong southwestern wind. The s
imple but efficient craft—shifted from a large piece of petrified bark—was at the lake's center, trailing a sleek wake of white foam across the clear, emerald waters. Like a pride of big cats, Guardians lounged around the main deck, an oval trough connecting to the three torpedo shaped hulls, while a small crew of naval Shifters operated mast and sail.