From the gentle yellow glow of the rising sun wrapping him like a warm blanket, Augustus Goldridge never would've assumed this would be one of the worst days of his life.
The foolish ten year old was climbing the great watcher tree, as the villagers called it. It was a massive thick-trunked tree that towered over four hundred feet into the air. It stood in the center of a cozy clearing amongst a wild nest of trees near the edge of Evertome village.
At the bottom, several children watched eagerly as Augustus climbed higher and higher toward the clouds. They hadn't badgered him into it, but they sure as hell weren't trying to stop him either.
Since there were eyes on him, there was absolutely no way he would stop now. He was over three hundred feet up. He thought he could smell a feast from heaven. Maybe he should've taken that as a warning, but he didn't.
The wind yanked the branches back and forth. Who knows how stable they were, but Augustus continued to climb, putting his weight on them one after another. What made matters worse was the fact that it had rained only an hour ago. He struggled to get a good grip because the tree was still damp. One small slip up and he'd fall all the to the bottom and turn his innards into outtards.
It wasn't long before Augustus reached the very top. The highest branch was thicker and sturdier than he imagined and it made for a surprisingly comfortable seat. When he sat down, he was able to give a sigh of relief. He looked out over the village below. Its homey wood and stone buildings looked so tiny and insignificant from up there. It was like he had ascended to the realm of gods and was judging the lives of the puny creatures beneath him. The wind was whistling an eerie tune. Whenever a breeze rolled by, Augustus would grab on tightly to the branch to try to keep his balance. A caw came from the mouth of a crow behind him, slamming his ears. Startled, he lost his balance.
Now this might be where one might think "Ah, so he fell all that way. That must be why this day was one of the worst of his life.". Funny enough, this fall is completely unrelated to that.
Augustus panicked. He pulled a small dagger out of his coat pocket and drove it into the tree as hard as he could to try to catch himself. It wouldn't hold. The dagger slipped from his hands and he continued to plummet. The ground was fast approaching. He could smell the feast again.
Augustus was too young to die. He was scared, but even more than that disappointed. He had so much more he wanted to do. He had seen so little. Like a flash of light in a dark room, something snatched Augustus out of the air a mere second before he would have splattered on the ground. Without seeing, Augustus already knew who had caught him. Slowly, he turned to see his savior. There was his mother, looking down at him with disappointment. Uh oh…
It was humiliation at its finest. Getting saved by your mother. The kids who were watching him were pretty entertained though. They laughed at Augustus and stood in awe of his mother, as they landed elegantly on the ground. The village kids all loved Augustus's mother, Helena. She was intelligent, confident, and obscenely powerful. In Evertome, it was kind of unusual for someone to use magic. Technically, everybody was capable of it, but most didn't have the talent to bring it out. Helena was different. She was from somewhere else and brought with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. When she arrived, nobody knew magic, but in the years following her arrival she managed to teach a few. She was the town's most precious jewel.
Helena was considered the most beautiful woman in Evertome. Which was fairly offensive to the elders since she wasn't even born there. She had long silky blonde hair and a face so fair that it would make a mermaid goddess blush. Most days she wore a short white dress with green pants underneath.
Being her son, Augustus got some of her looks too. He had hair like a shaggy gold puppy and eyes that shined green as genuine emerald. He wore a brown coat with a fur hood and light brown pants. The coat had been his mom's when she was a teenager. Although Augusutus loved that coat to death, it kind of swallowed him up. It would be a few more years before it fit right.
Helena knelt down and put her hand on Augustus's shoulder.
"How many times have I told you not to go up there?" Helena asked with a crooked smile.
"Umm… Not enough?" he replied.
"Very funny! What would've happened if I hadn't showed up?" she asked, tapping her foot.
Augustus refused to answer.
"Yeah, that's what I thought! You're grounded. Anyway, we're late for meeting with Art!"
Augustus groaned, "I'm too tired for chopping firewood today…"
"If you're not too tired to climb a four hundred foot tree, you're not too tired to chop firewood!"
Augustus and Helena walked through to the other side of Evertome village and then down the long gravel road to the vast woods a little farther on. Unlike the small wood that held the great watcher tree, these woods (the widow's woods they were called) went on for miles. On a wide tree stump sat a young man, about seventeen years old. He was lean and on the taller side. He had long, blonde, and curly hair and wore a brown vest over a pale green shirt. There was a considerable stack of logs next to him and an axe was lodged in the side of his stump.
"Sorry, we're late." Helena said.
"It's cool." Artello replied, "You ready to get to work?"
Augustus shrugged.
A few seconds later, Augustus found himself begrudgingly holding a small hand axe. It was a little bit heavy for him. Swinging it made for a good workout. The three of them chopped away for about half an hour and then they were done. They bagged up all the chunks of wood and took it back into town. When they got home Artello threw himself across the couch and Augustus lay spread out on the rug in the middle of the floor.
In the kitchen, Helena took out a couple glasses and filled them with water. Her hand lit up with a sparkling blue light and she made several small ice cubes to put in each drink. She brought them over and gave one to Augustus and one to Artello.
"Thank you, mom." Augustus said.
"Thanks a bunch." Artello replied, tiredly grabbing the glass.
"You're welcome." Helena smiled.
She sat down in her favorite white rocking chair in the corner of the room. Everyone was exhausted after chopping. They weren't at it for long, but that's because they did a great amount in a very small timeframe. It wasn't long until Augustus fell asleep and started snoring. Helena laughed gently.
"Hey, Helena?" Artello asked.
"What's up?" she replied.
"I.. I just wanted to thank you again for taking me in." he said.
"Art. It's fine. You're part of the family too."
Artello was quiet for a moment, as if his mind were somewhere else.
"Thanks."
An hour or so passed before Augustus woke up alone in the living room. He rose to his feet and went back to his mother's study to see if she was there. Inside it was filled with shelves upon shelves of books, loose papers, and strange gizmos from who knows where. She had been all over Novia. She was probably one of the best mapmakers on the continent. Augustus found his mother hunched over at her desk, concentrating her stare on an unfinished map. She coughed.
"Hey, mom." he said. Hearing her cough always made him hurt a little inside.
Helena jumped a little, "Oh. Hey, kiddo. I didn't hear you come in."
"Whatcha working on?" Augustus asked.
"A map of the Netherfalls. Such a big place. It's hard to capture all the details."
"What was it like there?"
"Oh, it was gorgeous. There were long streams of sparkling water falling from high peaks. The cliffsides almost looked like dark crystals. You could see shimmers in them that looked like stars. Maybe, I should take you out there sometime."
"Really?" Augustus's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Yeah. I think that would be fun. When you're older, of course."
Augustus became glum all of a sudden.
"How much older?"
"When you can kill a bear with one arm tied behind your back, I'll consider it."
"Come on! I bet I could do that!"
"Sure…" Helena replied, "It's dangerous out there, Augy. You're still a tad too young."
"Okay…" Augustus said, disappointed and frustrated.
Augustus looked around at the maps all over the desk and the walls. There were so many of them.
"Hey, mom. Have you been everywhere?"
Helena laughed, "Absolutely not. I've never been off the continent. And even in Novia, there's one place even I've never been."
"Where is that?"
Helena pointed to a painting on her wall. It was of a strange ethereal garden on a mountaintop. There were flowers of many colors and shapes and tall shimmering waterfalls. The waters flowed into a pond that glowed as if it contained the very source of life itself. And according to some legends, it really did. To some, it was the garden of heaven. To others, it was the bridge to everlasting night. But to most…
"I've never been there. To Sunset Fields."
"Sunset Fields?"
"Yeah. It's at the peak of Mount Liminos. I attempted the climb once when I was younger and it didn't go very well."
"But you can do anything, mom." Augustus said, confused.
Helena laughed, "I'm flattered you think so, Augy, but your mom's in her forties now. There are things she can't do now, even if she could before."
"I'm sure you could still do it!" Augustus said.
"No. My chance for that has come and gone. But, hey, maybe someday you could do it."
"Yeah! And I'll do my own map of it too!"
"That's the spirit." Helena smiled.
A couple weeks later, Helena's illness returned. She was bedridden again and called Augustus and Artello to her room. The color had gone from her face.
"Hey…" Helena said, holding her heavy lips into a smile.
"You're not looking too good." Artello replied, "Is there anything we can do for you?"
Augustus was distraught. It was hard seeing his mom weak and bedridden.
"Yeah. Over in Laiker, there's a little potion shop run by a lady named Lilia. She has a special golden potion. That's the one I need. Could you boys go get it for me?"
Augustus' eyes lit up a little.
"You want Augustus to come with me?" Artello asked, "But it's dangerous outside the village."
"It won't be if he's next to you. Augy's always telling me he wants to see more. I gotta let him have a little freedom at some point, don't I? Keep watch of him. Keep him safe."
"Yes, Ma'am. I will." Artello replied.
And so the two of them went on their way to Laiker. The way was brimming with thick lively forests. It was a peaceful walk along a shaded path. A few hungry beasts stalked them from afar but as soon as Artello took notice of their presence they would take off running. Soon enough they reached their destination. Laiker was a little bit bigger than their home town of Evertome. It was built with stone and had smooth roads laid throughout for horse-drawn carriages to traverse. It was a bustling town with far more trade than their home Evertome.
In the center of the road sat a carriage and in front of it stood a group of men clad in silver and purple armor with a look of self importance.
"Hello, travelers..." One of the armored men said.
Their armors were smooth and intricately crafted with the insignia of Konungia, or the Central Kingdom as it was more commonly called.
"Who are you, guys?" Augustus asked with a naive bluntness.
Onlookers at the side of the street watched, afraid for the fate of the boy who hadn't shown due respect.
"We are-"
"They're a bunch of losers who think they own the place." Artello interrupted, "They're probably extorting money out of the people here. And they intend to do the same to us."
The soldier with the maroon insignia, who they had interrupted, grit his teeth in an angry smile. Their audience gasped.
"You certainly have some guts to speak to knights of the Central kingdom like that. Are you aware of the consequences of badmouthing a knight of Konungia?" The knight said.
"I don't know what it is for most people, but for me it's nothing…" Artello replied, seemingly bored.
"What a foolish thing to say. It doesn't matter who it is. The punishment for disrespecting the Central Kingdom is death! Come on, men!"
The captain and his subordinates all unsheathed their swords and charged at Artello. Augustus cowered behind him as he continued to stand calm and firm. Once they came close, he unveiled five small pebbles that he held in his hand. One by one, he threw each like a shooting star, and struck each and every soldier unconscious.
"That was incredible!" Augustus said, "But is it really okay that you did that? Are we gonna have a target on our backs now?"
"It'll be fine. I've dealt with these chumps before. They're just peons. If they complain to their bosses that they got beat up, they'll probably just get reprimanded." Artello laughed, "They like to pretend they're all that, but they really ain't shit."
"Ya know, one of these days I'm gonna catch up and be just as good as you." Augustus said with a mischievous grin.
"Maybe in your dreams." Artello replied.
They made their way to the Potion shop. On the outside, there was a wooden sign that read "Lilia's potions" that was barely holding up. They entered through a dark blue curtain and inside were wood walls and a wood floor, lit with a pale blue light from a lamp on the desk. At the desk sat a strange woman hunched over.
"Hello, how can I help you?" the woman at the desk asked.
"Hey, would Lilia happen to be in today?" Artello asked.
"Lilia? Why, you're speaking to her!" she flashed a smile, revealing her bent and missing teeth, "And who might you be?"
"I'm Augustus Goldridge, Helena's son." Augustus said.
"We're here to pick up a potion for her." Artello added.
"Oh, right! I thought I heard that Helena and Joel had a kid. And why, you look just like them. You got your mother's hair and your father's eyes."
"I doubt it. It's not like that good-for-nothing ever gave me much of anything…" Augustus said annoyed.
"Sorry. I didn't know it was a touchy subject." Lilia replied.
Lilia searched the shelves behind her. They were filled with vials of colorful liquid. She slid one aside and grabbed a gold potion from behind it.
"Here it is. On the house."
"Really?" Augustus said, shocked.
"Of course! Helena and I go way back. I want the best for her. Get that back to her so she can feel better!" Lilia said.
"Thanks a bunch." Artello replied.
"Yeah, thank you!" Augustus added.
"You're welcome, boys. Tell your mother I said hi!"
As the two of them left, Lilia sat back and took a whiff of her long blue pipe. After Augustus and Artello were long gone, a bell rang over the door. In walked two strange men. One was tall and thin with long purple hair that went down to his shoulders. The other was a shorter man who was bald and had a thick grey beard.
"Good afternoon, Ma'am. Are you Lilia Arcove?" The purple haired man asked.
His stare was cold and commanding.
A chill ran across Lilia's body, "Who's asking?"
Augustus and Artello made it back safely and brought the potion to Helena. She took a sip and her face instantly regained its color.
"Thank you, boys." Helena smiled.
"It's the least we could do." Artello replied.
"Once I get enough strength to get back up, I'll have to make you two a special treat!"
"No, It's fi-"
"Yes! Treat! Are you gonna make your chocolate cake?" Augustus interrupted excitedly.
"I certainly can. If you behave." Helena smiled, "You two should go play in the creek. When you come back, I'll have some cake waiting for you!"
"Yay! Thanks, mom." Augustus replied.
"Thank you, Mrs. Goldridge." Artello replied, "How bout we come back around sunset?"
"Works for me!" Helena replied.
Augustus and Artello went out to the creek at the edge of the village. There was a gentle orange-yellow glow dancing on the warm water. The two boys sat at the edge with their backs against the wet rocks on the side of the creek. Birds sang quietly as the sun came lower to the horizon.
"Today was fun! You should teach me how to do that thing with the rocks!" Augustus said.
"There's really not much to it. I just used a little magic to increase my throwing speed. It's pretty simple."
"If it's pretty simple, then show me!"
"Can you use any magic yet?" Artello asked.
"Well, not exactly… I've accidentally punched through the wall at home before, but I really don't know how I did it."
"Well, before I can teach you much of anything. You need to learn how to harness your magic. Everyone's soul has magic inside it. Or Mana, as many also call it. Some have more. Some have less. To bring it out you have to feel it."
"Feel it?"
"Yeah, emotions act as a bridge between the Mana in your soul and your magic coming out through your body. That's why you accidentally used it when you angrily punched the wall."
"Really?" Augustus said, looking at his clenched fist.
"Yes, really. Once you learn how to use your emotions to feel your magic, you can learn how to cross that 'bridge' without channeling your emotions. You'll know where it is and how to get to it, if you get what I mean. It comes with the territory of understanding yourself."
"I don't exactly follow."
"You'll get it soon. We'll have to start you with training soon. Especially if we're gonna travel more often to get your mom's medicine. It would be good for you to have magic of your own, just in case we get split up somehow."
"Yeah! I can't wait for you to teach me!"
"It'll be tough. Don't say I didn't warn you…"
"Yeah, yeah. Just watch, I'll be a natural!"
Artello laughed.
After a long relaxing soak, they made their way back to the village. Dark clouds rolled in and it began to rain.
"Hey, Augustus. Let your mom know I'm gonna be a minute. I've got an errand I gotta run for old Smithers." Artello said.
"'Kay." Augustus replied.
Helena sat in her study, looking frustrated at her map of Netherfalls. Her linework was rougher than usual. She had gotten shakier as of late. Helena groaned and glanced to her side. There on the wall hung the painting of Sunset fields. If only.
The door crashed open and the roaring of the pouring pain could be heard. Helena got up to go and greet the boys. She felt sorry for them because they were almost certainly completely drenched. When she went out to the living room, Artello and Augustus were nowhere to be seen. Near the open door, stood two men. One had purple hair that reached down to his shoulders and the other was bald with a thick grey beard.
"Helena Goldridge, I presume?" The purple haired man asked coldly.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Helena barked like a dog digging her heels.
"I was hoping we could keep this civil…." the man replied, "Do you know why we're here?"
"I have some guesses…" Helena replied.
"I've got orders to dispose of you and the kid." the man said matter-of-factly.
"What kid?"
"You can't fool us, Mrs. Goldridge… That kid- Augustus, I think you called him?- he is a liability. And so are you."
"You can kill me, but I won't let you touch my son"
"Think what you will."
The purple haired man summoned a spear of ice out of thin air and pointed it at Helena. He was simply going through the motions. The tip began to glow and the room began to chill.
"Any last words?" he asked.
"Yeah…" Helena replied, "Die!"
She shot toward him like a cannon firing.
Augustus hobbled up onto the porch and shook off as much water as he could. He took off his coat and tossed it to the side when he walked into the house. It was dark inside. His mom hadn't lit the night candles like usual. Augustus walked forward through the dark of the living room and felt a strange liquid pooling at his feet. He could barely see, but he was able to make out one thing. A body lying motionless on the ground. He screamed.