Phantom Regency

O Sacred Mount

See the sky

Long for light

O Sacred Mount

I yearn for height

Could I climb

Way up high

Scale your side

And touch the sky?

Yoshun Thaxius, age 11

6 B.G.E

The boy smiled as he hiked down the foothills of Yoshun’s Peak. He always felt peaceful there away from his village. The life of a farmer was hard, and at fifteen he was required to do his share of the plowing and reaping. But in these cold days of late autumn, labors were few and far between. This afforded him ample time to take a daily hike to the foot of the mountain, under whose shadow he had been raised.

He turned to gaze back. Although he had walked a couple of miles already, he had to crane his neck to see the peak looming over him. The mountain was steep and rough with no trees. He felt as if waves of rock could crash down from it at any time. Looking up, he lost his balance momentarily and backed up a couple of steps.

The mountain was nearly twice the height of any of the other Great Western Mountains. This range, also called the Spine of Aralia, ran along the west coast of the island. The boy knew that beyond it was the Forsaken Sea that covered almost the entire surface of their planet. Yoshun’s Peak was situated in the very center of the range.

He longed to climb up and stand on the small hollow at the peak and gaze over the sea. It was here that his ancestors dreamed of leaving their small world and traveling to the sky. His mother had told him that in ancient times people worshipped Sky Man at the top of Yoshun’s Peak. Their legends told that Sky Man had sent the orb of life to their planet, Galmar, and raised the encircling islands. That was long ago before the three peoples of the islands made war and ruined this world. Only a few farming communities like his at the foot of Morvan Castle were left. The rest of mankind had flown to other worlds in great phantom ships.

The boy had never been off Galmar, at least not that he could remember. His mother told him that she had fled with him to this lost world when he was a baby. She spoke little of his father and he suspected that he had died in whatever calamity had befallen them. Of this event, she never spoke, only that they had once lived in the core worlds at the heart of the STARegency. He yearned to someday fly through the sky to other worlds and he knew in his heart it would come to pass. So far though, he had never even seen a skyship.

A couple of hours later he could see the silhouette of the ancient castle ahead as he walked the well-traveled lane. Farmhouses and barns became more frequent as he drew nearer to the village. He could smell the fresh tilled earth of the fields that had been turned after the fall harvest. It was a windy day and the air was chilly. His mind returned from his lofty thoughts of the mountain and the sky to his normal life here at Morvan. He would have to fetch water after supper and then he hoped Boldic would want to fence with him.

Boldic was enamored with the ancient history of Morvan Castle and the old feudal society of Aralia. They had fashioned swords and shields of wood and often played at being knights of old. Boldic was his only friend as there were few other children at Morvan. His mother said that many people were too sad to want children. He perceived that the people of Galmar were lonely and hopeless. But as for himself, he refused to be grounded to this existence. It was his dreams that made the difference for him.

My dreams.

“Hello, Eamor,” Averil called to him as he walked by, lost in his thoughts. She was milking a goat in its pen by the road.

The boy blushed. Averil was the only teenage girl in the village. She was small for her age and had short dark hair. He liked her but rarely talked to her.

There was a different girl that he saw in his dreams many nights. This girl was not at all like Averil. She was much taller and had fair skin and deep, blue eyes. In his dreams, she seemed sad and lonely. Eamor was sure he would meet her some day.

My dreams always come true.

“I said, ‘Hello’,” scolded Averil as she abandoned her task and began walking along the other side of the fence next to Eamor.

“Uh, hi,” he managed to reply.

“How was your walk?”

“Um, it was okay,” he said with a shrug.

“Will you be at the square later? The Sandars are going to play. They haven’t been here in years.” She stopped walking and rested her elbows on the fence.

Eamor turned her way. “Isn’t the duke’s son going to make some boring speech? I don’t think I’ll go. I have chores to do anyway.”

“Actually, the duke’s son cancelled. Too scared of the raiders I guess.” She smirked. “The elders decided to make it a festival anyway – music and games and stuff.”

“Well… maybe. If mother goes, I’ll have to anyway. She hardly lets me out of her sight.”

Averil glanced toward the village. “You know she worries about you. I can see it in her face. I’m surprised she lets you hike out to the mountain alone every day.”

“That’s because of my… um… she just thinks I need time alone… you know,” Eamor stammered.

“Hey, could I go with you tomorrow? I’ve never been to the mountain.” She turned a wistful gaze back down the lane toward Yoshun’s Peak. “The Pillar of the World… It’s not hard to believe that people used to think it held up the whole sky. It must be beautiful to be right there looking up at the peak right above you.” She looked back at Eamor. “We could bring a picnic and…”

Eamor panicked inside. Averil was the last companion he would ever want to accompany him to the mountain. That time was special, even sacred to him. He wanted to try to express these feelings, but he was too shy to open up to her. And besides, only his mother and Uncle Rylen knew of his dreams.

“Actually, I don’t think I’ll go tomorrow. I have other things to do. In fact, I gotta go right now. See ya’,” he said, backing away and then breaking into a run.

Averil watched his thin, but broad shouldered frame running into the distance. He seemed to her so good-hearted and brave, like his mother. And yet he was so awkward and unsure of himself. She wished she could reach him and really get to know him, but so far, her efforts had failed. She sighed and turned back toward the barn. She walked a few steps and turned for a last look at Eamor. Her face broke into a sideways smile and she skipped back to her goats.

Eamor reached the village. He passed ancient stone buildings dating back to the days when the Count Morvan dynasty still occupied the castle. There were also more modern dwellings made from metal and plasteel alloy. The most recent constructions were crude wood frame buildings. The decline of technology had been sudden and swift.

As he walked by Master Grex’s old blacksmith shop he heard the distant roar of a skyboat flying overhead as it hurtled down to Aralia Station on the coast. The skyboats carried goods and passengers from the Regency ship in orbit that visited every 20 days. It occurred to Eamor that the ship wasn’t due for several more days, but he thought nothing of it.

It was nearly sunset and most of the shops were already shuttered for the night. At the end of the lane near the Castle was the little stone cottage he shared with his mother. He entered and greeted her and sat down to read. The orange rays of the late afternoon sun slanted through the two small windows, casting a warm glow on the reader.

The holo-reader had nothing of great interest to him. His thirst for knowledge, however, had compelled him to read almost the entire selection of old science and history books as well as some folksy short stories that his mother had read to him as a child. What he really wanted to read was about the events out in the galaxy. He had heard stories of pirates and great navies of ships warring in the sky.

He stretched his lanky body across the couch and grabbed his mother’s holo-phone from a small table. He rolled on his back and activated the image projector. He scrolled through several family pictures then sighed as an image of a STARegency cruiser appeared. To him it was so bold and beautiful with its sweeping, wedge-shaped hull and great phantom cylinders in back. He rotated it in his hands, gazing at it from every angle. Often in his dreams he had seen himself piloting one of the swift behemoths through the phantom sky, passing star after star to his destination.

At supper that night, his mother asked him if he had dreamed at the mountain that day. He often had vivid dreams both at night and in waking hours. His waking dreams always occurred out at the mountain. Many of his dreams were of the here and now and his mother had learned to trust them for guidance. She warned him never to tell anyone of this gift. He agreed. He was at once thrilled and terrified that his dreams actually came true. It excited him that most of his dreams were of phantom ships and other worlds. He knew this time would come soon.

“No, mother, no dreams today,” he replied. He paused a moment and continued earnestly, “Mother, I really, really want to climb the mountain. I am old enough and strong enough now. And I know the really important dreams will come up there. Please can I do it soon?”

“Eamor.” she said slowly, “I don’t think it is the right time yet. You…”

“But why?” Eamor’s face fell. His longing was growing by the day.

“Eamor, my son,” she said soothingly, “Please just believe me. I have your good at heart. I just think nothing come can come of it, at least not yet. I am afraid you will not be ready for the dreams you will have on the mountain.”

“But…”

“No, Eamor. Please don’t ask again,” she said firmly, “When you grow into manhood it will be different.”

“Okay. Maybe the years will go faster now that I am old enough to work the fields.” He paused. “I wish Uncle Rylen were here. I miss him. Do you think he will ever come back?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. She turned aside from her son. Her brother had set out with a dozen other men to a neighboring village. There were rumors of raiders and he wanted to find out what was going on. She counted on him to protect and mentor Eamor. He had come to live with them after Eamor’s father died. She did not know what she would do if he did not return.

She turned back to face her son and put on a brave smile. He was growing into such a handsome young man. It dawned on her that she could not keep him safe forever. He was going to have to fulfill his destiny someday. The day was rapidly approaching when she would have to let go.

“Son, tonight before bed I have something important to share with you. I want you to know about your father and why we are here. I think you are old enough now to know.”

Eamor was excited. “Can you tell me now?”

“No, I need to gather my thoughts and figure out how to do this. Eamor, what I need to tell you will change your life forever. It won’t be easy.”

She began crying again and arose. He rose too and they embraced.

“Oh, Eamor, I love you and am so proud of you.”

“I love you too.”

She pulled back and held him at arm’s length. She smiled warmly at him before pulling away and clearing the table. Eamor watched his mother head for the kitchen. His heart filled with love for her. He saw just how much she had sacrificed to keep him safe and provide for him. She had left her world and family behind and worked hard at the Crossbow Inn to make a meager living for them. Most of all he was grateful that she helped him keep his dreams alive. She said little about Sky Man, but he suspected that she knew a lot about him.

Once they washed up after supper, Eamor grabbed the pails and headed out to the well in the castle courtyard. As he walked out the door, his mother called after him, “I’ll go with you. We can talk on the way.”

They headed out the door of their cottage and strode toward the high castle walls. The sky was already darkening and the air was quite chilly. Eamor gazed up and saw two of Galmar’s moons in the sky. One of them was the large yellow orb of Nemesis. She was mostly full; it would be a “light night”. Eamor’s mother grabbed his arm and walked close beside him.

“Mother, last night I had another dream of the knight.”

“Really,” she said nervously. She recalled his recurring dreams of a knight in armor taking him away on a horse on some great adventure. It scared her. She often pondered whom this knight was who would take Eamor from her.

Eamor said, “In this dream, we are fighting each other with swords. We fought a long time, but neither of us could win. I also saw his face this time.”

“What did he look like?” she asked as they passed under the high gate into the castle. Eamor did not answer as he gazed around. He never tired of the sight of the ancient stone walls with their battlements. He knew that this was one of the few castles to survive the Final War, although it bore many scars from battle. The wall at the far end was now just a pile of rubble and all the internal structures were burned out.

They arrived silently at the well. Eamor began lowering the first bucket.

“Eamor,” she began.

Before she could say another word a loud explosion tore through the air. Dust and stone rained down as the castle walls rocked. Smoke and flames arose over the wall from the direction of the village. Screams and cries pierced the air.

Eamor grabbed his mother’s hand and ran for cover by the wall. They knelt and looked toward the gate.

“Run for the castle!” a voice shouted as villagers began streaming through the gate. The crack of a hunting rifle going off echoed through the air.

Another explosion rattled the ground. Eamor could now hear the distinct sound of an ion gun. He had heard the sizzling electrical sound before. His uncle was the only one in the village who had one. Eamor had seen him hunt with it before. He wished his uncle were here. He would fight. He would know what to do.

Boldic came sprinting through the gate, wooden sword and shield in hand. He paused and turned, brandishing his weapon. Eamor thought that was brave, but what could toys do against real firepower. An awful scream interrupted his thoughts as Boldic’s body was engulfed in blue lightning and he fell to the ground.

“Boldic!” he yelled. He began to rise to somehow help or avenge, but his mother grabbed him fiercely.

“We’ve got to get you out of here! You can’t die. You have a destiny. Run for the back wall. Go! GO!” his mother was screaming.

“Mother, I…”

As he was speaking a great roar engulfed his ears and a wave of stones crashed down on them. Eamor’s body was battered as he was hurtled to the ground. His vision went black for a moment.

He came to and opened his eyes. He was lying in a field of broken stones. He ached all over but found that he could move. He arose and looked around. Mother! Panic seized him. Where could she be?

“Eamor!” He heard a weak cry from amongst the debris. He ran for the sound and found her half buried under great chunks of stone. She had been closer to the collapsing wall and had pushed her son away as it crashed upon her.

“Mother! Mother!” He cried, running to her. “Are you hurt?”

He knelt beside her and grabbed the only hand that was free of the wreckage. Her face was peaceful.

“Eamor. It is my time to go to the Sky above the sky. My son, follow your dreams, they will lead…” She groaned as a spasm of pain crossed her face.

“You are not going to die. I’ll get you out of here.” He rose and began pulling at the stones.

“No! Come here. I must tell you now before the end. You must trust your dreams. A great adventure, a great destiny lies before you. You are the galaxy’s hope.”

Eamor knelt before her. “Mother, I don’t understand. What do you mean? Please don’t give up.”

“Eamor,” she gasped, her breath coming in shallow spasms. “Your time is coming… Sky Man will appear to you soon… Now I go to him…. Son, you are…”

She closed her eyes. Eamor squeezed her hand tightly as she whispered, “Trust your dreams…”

Her voice trailed away and she breathed her last.

Eamor cried, kneeling before her. He wept and wept. As sobs racked his frame, deep inside a peace came. His eyesight and hearing faded. It was a waking dream! A soft green light filled his eyes. He saw the indistinct form of a man. He was tall and glowed softly. His form was powerful and a green aura of energy emanated from him. Eamor perceived that the green being was walking away from him. He now saw his mother walking hand in hand with the man. Although he could not see her face, he knew that she was happy. As he watched them walk into the distance, Eamor smiled through his tears and was grateful.

The vision faded. Although she was broken-hearted and fearful, he knew now that her whole life had been a sacrifice to keep him safe and prepare him for what lies ahead. She was now at peace. He knew it. He had seen it. And now he knew that his time was at hand. He would leave Galmar and find his destiny.

Thank you, mother. Thank you, Sky Man.,

“Here’s another one,” a rough sounding voice said from behind him. Eamor turned and saw two tall men. They were wearing ratty black uniforms with patchwork metal plates. They both had ion guns in their hands and long sword scabbards dangling from their belts. One had an eye patch over his right eye and wild, stringy black hair. The other wore a helmet with an opaque visor.

“Come with us!” said the one with the patch. To Eamor, he looked quite young, not many years older than himself.

Eamor hesitated. They strode up before he could react and grabbed him by each arm. They half carried, half dragged him out of the castle.

“Who are you?”

“I don’t know,” replied Eamor, still reeling from his mother’s last words. “I really don’t know.”

“We’ll teach you to talk, you punk!” The young one said as they threw him roughly to the ground.

“Lang! Cynrus! Leave the boy alone!” said a voice. To Eamor the voice sounded warm and strong – a voice that could command and none would disobey, a voice that could plead and none would be unmoved.

He looked up to see who had spoken. The man was tall and lean. He wore a suit of metallic armor painted black. Some of the paint was chipped and pitted. The armor had what looked like weapons mounted on both shoulders. He had an ornate, medieval-looking helmet under one arm. A great broadsword was in the other hand. Eamor had seen him before.

It was the knight.