BOOK 2 CHAPTER 51
Tirr watched himself as he went about his days. He wasn’t sure when exactly he had woken up, but he soon realized he was once again back in the past. He had moved out of his forest home to live with the mysterious woman and now spent his time in the growing village that had become his home. At some point days turned to weeks and then months as he watched himself.
In the morning the woman, who he now understood was his first apostle, would take him through the village, talking to and meeting with its residents. Then they would head into the forest play with the beasts that were his friends as she gathered herbs.
When they returned, he’d leave for the afternoon to go have lunch at Bren’s forge, which had grown from its humble beginnings to a large workshop with half a dozen aprentices. He watched them work, each practicing the gift he had given them as they worked the metal the villagers brought to them.
Then in the evening he’d head home, helping his apostle with the occasional injury or illness among the villagers, before eating and heading off to sleep for the next day.
The cycle seemed to continue as village grew around him and he watched himself become bond with its people. The more he helped the more word spread of the amazing child and strange people around him. Soon, more and more people started to arrive at the village, each with their own reason for finding the child, and not all were friendly about it.
The cycle broke as the scene changed and Tirr found himself standing in a field of ashes and blood. The remains of a small army lay on the field in front of him as he stared down at the bodies coldly. A voice called and the woman appeared, followed quickly by Bren as they arrived with worry written on their faces.
The worry was quickly over shadowed by shock as they found the sight of Tirr standing in front of a field of dead. He turned to them smiling even as a long gash down the front of his body slowly closed. The woman ran to him and held him tightly, and Tirr could see his own confusion as she cried for a reason he didn’t understand.
As the scene shifted again the cycle repeated, but things were different this time. The mood of the village had gone from friendly to wary. Mothers kept their children inside as Tirr passed and the villagers spoke to the woman in short bursts almost too scared to look at the child that trailed behind her. They stopped going into the village before their visit to the forest and the woman would drop him off at Bren’s forge each afternoon.
The forge and its workers remained the same but Tirr noticed that many of its customers would now ignore him, fear in the corner of their eyes as they glanced his way. Bren would guide him back home for the evening. As time went on, less villagers would come with their aches and fevers. Instead visitors from other places grew more frequent and the woman started to turn more and more people away. Still, more came everyday….
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The scene shifted again and Tirr found himself listening from the top of the stairs. Bren had arrived in the morning with a determined look on his face. He listened in as the two people closest to him spoke in hushed tones.
“We can’t just keep going like this, _____...” Bren’s voice was filled with tension as he spoke. “Sooner or later something is going to happen again. We need…”
“Stop it Bren…” The woman said, clearly upset, “If it comes down to it, I’ll go with him back to the Forest…”
“That won’t solve anything…”
“But it will keep him safe!”
Bren snorted, “That’s not what he wants, _____! That’s not why he spoke to you, or why he followed you back here. He wants to be around people! You heard that dream he had the other day…”
The woman scoffed but didn’t deny it…
“And I’ll tell you what else. This power, this blessing he gave us. It doesn’t… He doesn’t want it to stay concealed either. I know you feel it too. He gave it to us for a reason… We aren’t meant to keep it to ourselves.”
“So what? I should give it to any random power-hungry fool who comes asking?” She retorted.
“That’s not what I…” There was a sigh of frustration, “People are starting to take notice and we can’t do this on our own… We need proper organization, information, things we can’t do…”
“So what do you suggest then?”
Bren was silent for a moment, “I know she sent you another letter, _____. She sent one to me too, I guess she knew you were ignoring her.”
“Don’t…”
“She has the connections we need to really get this going, ____. To set up something that can help him...”
“No! I already told her no… You haven’t met her Bren… She isn’t… She only cares about power...”
“Maybe, or maybe she really can help…” Tirr heard Bren’s voice grow quiet. “Look… I set up a meeting and she should be here in a few days. We should…”.
“You what!?” The woman’s outrage was clear, and her anger was terrifying. “Bren, I swear won’t let you…” The yelling set off a familiar spark and Tirr shook his head, watching himself head down the stairs slowly, unable to stand it any longer…
The argument stopped immediately as they saw him, each standing awkwardly as they realized how loud they had gotten…
“I’m sorry Tirr, Bren and I still have some things to talk about, could I ask you to go out to the forest without me?” His Apostle said, smiling warmly at him. “See if you can find some fever root or corn flower. Should be just about time for them to come in…”
Tirr watched himself nod as he left, voices continuing behind him after he got through the door. There at the front to meet him was a dark furred wolf, his tail wagging as he spotted Tirr. Tirr let out a smile and the two ran off towards the forest.
The scene shifted again as Tirr arrived at the forest, trying to forget the stressful argument he had just witnessed. As he came to a small creek he stopped in surprise. There sitting with her feet in the water was a beautiful blonde woman in a flowing blue dress.
She turned, having heard him, her startling blue eyes full of interest as she spotted him. “I’m sorry is this your spot?” She asked smiling warmly as she stood. He noticed her pick up an elegantly designed wooden cane as she did so, using it to keep her balance.
Tirr shook his head nervously, remembering the change in attitude of the villagers. Though she didn’t seem like she was from there.
“Good! Whenever I come this far inland, I always make it a habit to find some fresh flowing water, to remind me of the sea. Not the same as sailing the open ocean but it scratches the itch…”
“You sail?” Tirr heard himself ask excitedly…
“Well, used too…” The woman said, grinning as she motioned to the cane. Now I just have others sail for me… But where are my manners, the woman said as she approached him, holding out her hand. “I’m Selene,”
“Tirr,” He responded grasping her hand and shaking it lightly, not noticing her smile widen and her eyes sparkle…