The Book of Deacon (60 page)

"I seem to have a rather insistent visitor,"
he said.

A second crash nearly knocked the door from
its hinges, and a third succeeded where the last had failed. Atop
the fallen door stood a dizzied Myn. She had a desperate look,
catching the edge of Myranda's tunic and pulling her forward.

"What is it? Calm down. What is it, little
one?" she asked.

Myn looked desperately to the base of the
temporarily quiet falls and back to Myranda.

"What about the falls? I don't . . . Lain.
Lain went to the falls," she said.

She knew from the dragon's eyes that it was
so. He had gone.

"Then we must follow," Myranda said, walking
resolutely toward the falls.

"What!? No! You--you need to stay here! There
are ceremonies, there are tests. You've so much more you can learn!
You haven't even been inducted as a Full Master yet! Your Master
crystal will not be forged for another month, at least!" Deacon
said, rushing out the door behind her.

"I've learned enough. I need to see Lain,"
she said.

"The falls could start at any moment. You'll
never make it! You don't have any supplies! You need to stay!" he
pleaded.

"No!" she said, turning to him. "Lain has
left this place to go back to killing. He has turned his back on
his purpose. I will not rest until he faces it again!"

"Myranda, that is a job for fate, not for
you," he reasoned desperately.

"What if fate means to do it through me? I
have been thinking. That nonsense you said that Hollow had said
about me. A label of white adorns that which will see each. I have
seen the Swordsman," she began, holding up her white scar of the
mark. "I have seen Lain. I have seen whatever being we summoned in
the ceremony. What if it is my purpose to seek out the Chosen? A
mark both fresh and faded belongs to the carpenter. What if
carpenter is not meant to be taken literally? What if he meant that
I was to be the one to join the members of the Chosen five together
as a carpenter joins wood? Doesn't that explain why I have the
mark? Doesn't that explain why magic comes so easily to me?"

"Perhaps, perhaps . . . But perhaps not! You
are reaching, Myranda. You are twisting the words to fit your
purpose," he said. "The prophecy is clear about mere mortals who
try to help the Chosen. The trials that the divine ones must face
would destroy anyone else. To offer aid where it is not needed is a
death sentence!"

"Then so be it. If I must die so that the
world may be spared of this war, let it be done," she said.

"No, Myranda, I--I . . . Five minutes more, I
beg of you!" he said.

"I must--" Myranda tried to answer. Before
she did, Deacon was gone. He disappeared inside his hut.

Myranda hurried along. She simply could not
be delayed. A terrible din came from Deacon's hut. He sprinted out
after her a minute later.

"Wait please!" he said, running in front of
her. He carried a bag and an armload of books. The precious tomes
spilled to the ground as he finally found the specific one he was
looking for. He riffled through the pages and tore one out.

"Here! Take it! Have you the tooth still?
Good. With this spell, and that tooth you can track him wherever he
goes! And the bag! Take the bag! It contains some necessities, an
old staff and crystal. Better than yours, but not nearly what you
deserve. Oh, if only you would wait until the next time that the
way opens. We could give you a crystal worthy of your skill," he
said.

Myranda took the bag and the page, stuffing
it inside. Tears were welling in her eyes. As they approached the
base of the falls the mountain seemed to shudder. At any second, a
column of water would come crashing down.

"Myranda. Take care. Please, come back to
m--us," he said.

"I swear to you. If I can, I will," she
assured him.

Myranda rushed to the edge of the waterfall
basin. Those keeping watch claimed that neither they nor their
predecessors had seen anyone enter the mouth of the cave, but
considering the fact that Lain had managed to sneak out of his own
hut without waking Myn, that meant little. The dragon leapt down
into the basin, while Myranda lowered herself as gently as she
could down inside. With much difficulty, she managed to reach the
mouth of the cave. She fought the urge to have one final look at
those she was leaving behind, for fear of changing her mind.
Instead, she hurried as quickly as the slick floor of the cave
would allow.

Ahead lay darkness, danger, risk, and war.
All of this Myranda knew. But somewhere there were two creatures,
two creatures she'd seen with her own eyes, which could change the
world. The mountain groaned, filling the cave with echoes. At any
moment, an icy wall of water could drop down, robbing her of the
haven, the wonder, the paradise that was Entwell. Her every desire,
save one, lie in that fair village. Her greatest desire, though,
lay ahead.

Lain carried with him the shining gleam of
hope for peace, and she would follow that dying light in the
darkness to the ends of the world. Now she knew the truth. She
would show Lain the error in his ways. Now she understood her
purpose. She would find the other Chosen. Now she had the power.
She would see the war brought to an end, or she would die trying.
Around her the mountain gave a groaning roar. Squeezing her scarred
left hand tightly, she climbed on, toward her destiny.

#

Important though it is to tell the tale completely,
the enormity of the task was not clear to me at the onset. Much as
it pains me to leave you in the grip of so tense a moment, the hour
is late and my hand grows unsteady. For now I must rest, and begin
anew when I am able. I can only hope that the volume to follow
finds its way to your eyes as well, as the tale is not half told,
and I know all too well what incomplete knowledge can bring. Until
then, let me leave you with an assurance. The tale does not end
here. Indeed, this is merely the beginning.

###

Thank you for reading this, the first in the
Book of Deacon Trilogy. Below you can find links to other books
I’ve written. If you enjoyed the book, please consider reading the
others in the trilogy. Whether you liked my work or not, I would
love to hear what you think, so please leave a review. It will help
me to improve the things that you didn’t like, and to give you more
of the things you did.

Discover other titles by Joseph R. Lallo at
Smashwords.com:

The Book of Deacon Trilogy

Book 2: The Great Convergence -
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/35286

Book 3: The Battle of Verril -
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/45617

Other stories in the same setting:

Jade -
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/25151

Science Fiction Titles:

Bypass Gemini -
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57468

Contact Information

Website:
http://www.bookofdeacon.com
.

Twitter: @jrlallo

Email: [email protected]