Rise of the Champion Episode one. Chapter one

Tal found himself flying away from her, out the window, just as he realized the beauty was none other than Princess Rayhia. Then he was swooping over the castle grounds into Iluminous City itself. He flew through the market place, watching the merchants and their customers as they conducted the business of the day. What disturbed him most was the way that everyone shied away from his fellow Keepers of the LIGHT.

Before he could puzzle out the reason for the fear, he was flying on over the city, into the surrounding countryside. Tal noticed a squad of Temple Guardians on the road, a wheeled cage in the middle of the squad. As he drew closer he noticed that there were several prisoners in the cage. Heretics on the way to the temple for the Test I’ll bet. As he glided closer he could hear the cries of the heretics “We’ve done nothing wrong. Why are you arresting us?”

Tal saw the captain of the squad grab one of the prisoners and slam his face against the bars of the cage. “Keep your mouth shut, spawn of Darkness! Your tainted lies will have no effect upon us. I’d like to see you keep lying like that once the Inquisitors get a hold of ya.” Then the captain laughed and the rest of his squad joined in. Tal wanted to remind them that they were Keepers of the LIGHT and should treat even the darkness tainted heretic with compassion and kindness. How else were they supposed to be drawn away from the Darkness and back to the LIGHTGIVER? But he had no control over this flight, and he just kept soaring away.

Soon he was flying over the most breathtaking crystal blue lake he had ever seen. Heading toward a towering cliff face, that was as strange as it was fascinating. To his right was the rising sun, on his left lay the beachhead of the lake and a forest stretched behind that. Looking back ahead at the cliff face he just began to realize something was familiar about it, when from all around him thundered, a  very familiar voice.

“THAT”S IT I WARNED YOU!!” Then he was plunged into the icy depths of the lake. 

Tal set straight up in bed and saw Jarrod standing over him with the empty wash basin in his hands. “I guess you’re up now.” Jarrod laughed.

Dripping wet, Tal leapt from his now soaked bed “What did you do that for?” He roared.

“You told me last night and I quote-‘NO MATTER WHAT, don’t let me oversleep again tomorrow.’ Well you have resisted my efforts to awaken you, Rip Van Winkle, and now we both have to hurry or we’ll be late.” With that Jarrod grabbed his Temple guardians helmet and started for the door. “No need to thank me or anything. I left you a peel fruit and some ox milk on the desk, and your mother came by this morning and took your dirty robe. She said to tell you to stop by the laundry for a clean one on the way to work this morning. Now hurry before ole Rank Dank is down here chewing us both out for letting you be late again.” Then Captain Jarrod of Delta Squad was gone leaving his dripping roommate to hurriedly wolf down his food and follow.

Tal raced down the hallway from his room towards the laundry. Gotta hurry and get dressed or Master Dankrad will be chewing me out again. Come on feet don’t fail me now!  He hardly noticed all the stares as he left a trail of water behind. Tal arrived and hardly slowing his pace he plunged into the laundry room looking for his mother.

The head laundry mistress came around from behind one of the steaming wash vats just then. “Why are you dripping on my floor?”

“Jarrod dumped the wash basin on me”

“Well get behind that vat and get out of those wet things right now.” With that she tossed a clean, dryscribes work robe at him.

“Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? I am a full grown man now quit treating me like a child!”

“Yes, I know” his mother, head laundry mistress of the Keepers Temple, said “a full grown man who apparently still acts like a child. Running like a wild child through the temple in a soaked night shirt isn’t what I consider grown up actions. I suppose that your bed linens are a sopping wet mess as well?”