David Bishop and the Mystic of Creation T.C. Crawford (icecream ebook reader txt) 📖

a deeper strength and resilience that a normal man his age couldn’t possibly possess.

Before the other Elder’s had passed on, they had given up what remained of their powers into the last remaining Mystic Crystal. It was a tradition that had been repeated several times throughout the past couple thousand years and one that gave Tyrius full responsibility of the task of choosing and training the next five Elder’s. When chosen, he would pass the powers given to him into his new apprentices, one by one, until their ranks were complete once again, one Elder for each of the six Mystics of Creation.

Unfortunately, with the Defiant One back in the world of the living, the powers within the Crystal had all but dwindled away, thereby rendering his mission obsolete. For the moment, he was the sole protector of the Orb, and the final Elder. If he were to die, the legacy of the Elders would die along with him.

“I’ll volunteer first watch.” David and Erin said simultaneously. They looked at each other and smiled. They must have both noticed how weary Tyrius had looked and decided he needed the rest more than any of them.

Much to their surprise, Tyrius didn’t object, but instead nodded silently and continued prodding the fire with a stick, lost deep in thought and exhausted from their flight through the night and ensuing day.

It wasn’t long after they finished dinner that the others had fallen asleep, leaving David and Erin alone for the first time since they had left Ravenfell.

David sat down on a nearby hill overlooking the camp and Erin came and sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder affectionately. He looked up at the sky and the endless array of tiny stars dotting the deep velvety blanket above, wondering if these were the same stars he used to watch as a child outside the orphanage. He didn’t recognize any of the formations, but he also knew from his studies in school that those same stars would look different depending on where you were located in the galaxy.

He assumed he would never truly know, and instead decided to focus on the area around them, scanning for any signs of a threat.

As they sat there together on the hilltop, hand in hand, David could almost forget the troubles of the world. He admired how peaceful the countryside seemed, despite knowing there were dangers lurking somewhere in the darkness.

“What are you thinking about?” asked Erin, breaking the silence, but still keeping her head on David’s shoulder.

“I was just thinking about how beautiful this world is, and how simple life could be here if it weren’t for everything else going on.” he replied.

“Yeah…it is beautiful.” agreed Erin, looking out at the rolling hills. She squeezed David’s hand gently, sitting silent once again.

“Do you think we will ever be free from the Defiant One?” asked David, doubt reflecting in his voice.

Erin lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at the boy beside her that over the course of just a few shorts weeks, had been growing into a man before her eyes.

She thought about how feeble and scared he had looked when she first found him in the temple. Since then, he had saved her life on many occasions, risked his life for near strangers, and faced off with the most powerful man in the world – General Krauss, who possessed terrifying black magic. She had never known someone so brave and selfless as David had been. In the face of absolute danger, he had gone running into the fray, prepared to lay down his life for a world he had never even known existed until a few short weeks ago.

Her time with David had proven beyond a doubt in her mind that he had what it takes to make a real difference in this war. She believed in him, and she had come to love him deeply, not because of his heroism, but because of his kindness and willingness to help those around him.

“David, the prophecy foretold your coming, and here you are. The prophecy also foretold that you would be the one who would bind the darkness away for good. You are the one from prophecy, there isn’t a doubt in my mind. But more than that, I believe in you, and so does everyone else. Not just because of what the prophecy says, but because of what we have seen you do.” she said gently.

“You choose to fight when others would have run. You choose to stand up for our world when others would have walked away. Your spirit is strong, stronger than you give yourself credit for. If anyone can stop the Defiant One, it’s you.” Erin finished with a warm smile and a gentle kiss on his cheek before settling back into her position with her head resting on his shoulder, looking out at the scene around them.

The light from the moon was reflecting off the rolling hills, covering the landscape in a blanket of gentle silver. The hills extended far into the distance to the north, and some ways to the east before dropping into vast flat plains dotted with trees. Far into the distance the trees became thicker and seemed to dominate the landscape.

They sat there together for some time in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. When the moon reached its apex in the sky, they decided to head back down to camp to get some rest and change out their shift with Holzer and Reingard.

As they made their way down the gentle slope, David’s eye caught some movement in the shadows just south of the camp. He quickly stopped and notified Erin, pointing in the direction of the movement.

As they peered into the night, the shadows once again moved with the malicious intent of a stalker. There were dozens of them, and they were moving more quickly as they approached the campsite. Moonlight briefly reflected off something metallic – it was unmistakably a sword. Despite the spell