Remnants

The boat scuffed the sandbar, ripples coiling under the moonlight. 

“This is it?” I asked as I took in the island in front of us. 

“This is it,” my best friend, Hesperos, confirmed, his golden hair appearing silvery in the darkness. “The cavern is up the mountain pass, we’ll have to walk a bit.”

I dropped the anchor into the sapphire ocean as Hesperos jumped the short distance from the small boat to the sand below. I followed him, landing in the shallows of the beach, water reaching my ankles. 

This island was one of countless found in the Western Sea. Legend had it that the islands had once been unified while under the rule of the last High King, Callican, who possessed great magic. But that magic had died out long ago, leaving these divided remnants in its wake.

This left plenty unexplored, and Hesperos had recently been venturing out further and further, sometimes gone for weeks. He had convinced me to come with him to show me this newest discovery.

Hesperos came from a place I could never touch. He belonged to a mountain palace of powerful people, located on a remote island. He was descended from the great king Herkios, eldest son of Callican, who had the ability to control the winds and fly. 

Those powers diminished over time until it became little more than a family name and prestigious reputation to uphold. As such, his family jealously guarded what little sway they had, using every ounce of noble seniority.

But despite that legacy, Hesperos had never looked down on me or treated me like less because of it. But he would soon take over his family’s title and inherit the position, so he was determined to use every last ounce of freedom he had while he was still without the burden.

“Here we are,” Hesperos announced as we emerged from the woods.

I looked up to see that we had reached a cliff face, and cut out of that looked to be the entrance to some sort of temple. The words that had been scrawled on the ivory archway had long since faded. But it was easy to discern that the three supporting pillars each depicted the three last magic kings: Callican and his sons, Herkios and Terlos.

While Herkios had established his own reign and lineage, no one was really sure what had ever become of the youngest prince. Terlos had disappeared somewhere in his twenties and became little more than a speculated fable.

“This is amazing,” I said. “How has this place not been found already?”

Hesperos glanced at the archway. “I think it chooses who it wants to find. Some remnant of old magic, I suppose.” He shrugged. “Come on.”

I inhaled one last scent of the salty sea air before I followed him inside the temple.

The archway preceded a cavern that was large and spacious, decorated with stained glass, ancient paintings and jade bookshelves. It had a vaulted ceiling held up by marble columns. The enormous foyer was taken up by rows of statues and plaques displaying a number of heroes and legends, along with various objects like swords and shields. In the middle of the hall was an ornate dried out water fountain. 

There was no sign of dust or weathering to suggest its age and disuse. Magic indeed.

We wandered inside, walking past the displays of heroes. Many I recognized, some I didn’t. 

“I’ve been looking into my family’s history, trying to understand it better,” Hesperos said. “How it went from Herkios’ reign to what it is now. I found a scroll in the palace library that alluded to a temple such as this one. A place for the fallen heroes of old to be remembered. All of their stories are collected here in some way, shape or form.

“And I read of these beings called Specters. They are legend-keepers and prophet-speakers. Magical beings that see and know all. But they can only be summoned on the longest night of the year, which is why I wanted you to come with me tonight.”

I glanced sideways at him. “To try to summon a fabled creature? How is that even possible?”

“You have to offer a small portion of magic to call it into existence.”

“But magic died out years ago along with the High Kings family,” I said, confused. “You know that as well as anyone, you’re descended from him.”

Hesperos grimaced. “True, but there are still traces of it in my blood.” He paused for a moment. “And in yours.”

Mine? Now I was really confused. “I don’t have any magic.”

“Yes you do. We both have remnants of it. Me, as a descendant of Herkios, and you . . . as a descendant of Terlos.”

I shook my head. “I’m descended from sailors and carpenters, not kings. If Terlos was my ancestor, I’m sure my family would be richer, or noble like yours.”

Hesperos shook his head. “Terlos gave up his throne and disappeared. If his descendants ever knew of his true title, none ever spoke up.” He scanned my confused face. “I have been looking for Terlos’ heir for most of my life, but I never once expected it to be you. Had the texts not identified your bloodline, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling slightly overwhelmed and very confused. How long ago had Hesperos realized who my ancestor was and not told me? And why exactly did this seem to matter so much?

“Why did you bring me here?” I asked hesitantly.

“My blood alone is too weak to summon the specter, but both of ours together have enough magic to do the trick.”

I felt like there was more he wasn’t telling me. “Okay. And what exactly will the specter tell you?”

Hesperos shrugged. “Whatever it has to say. I’m curious, aren’t you?”

I regarded my friend for a moment. Maybe he had his reasons for not telling me, and he truly was just curious. I had to admit that I was too.

“So how do we do this?” I asked.

“It has to be done at the fountain,” Hesperos said, motioning me over to the marble structure. “Its purpose isn’t for water, but for communicating with creatures like Specters.”

Hesperos pulled a knife out of his waistband. I hadn’t even realized he’d had it on him. He carefully sliced his palm open, the small gash welling with blood. Then he handed the knife to me and I did the same.

Hesperos clasped his hand in mine, then held them over the fountain and let our blood drip into it. After a few drops fell, he let go of my hand, and we watched in silence as the blood met the marble. 

Hesperos stepped forward and said a few words in a language I didn’t recognize. It must have been something he found in the books. When he was finished, the cavern echoed in  profound silence.

For a moment, nothing happened. And then, what looked like a small pinprick of light started to appear in the fountain. It started to rapidly grow in size until it became blindingly radiant.

I closed my eyes against it, and when I opened them, a specter floated in its place. It appeared in the form of a young woman wearing the robes of an ancient spell scholar. Silver light radiated from her silhouette. I openly gawked at this display of magic, something I had thought long gone until this moment.

“Who summons me?” the specter asked, her voice containing an ethereal quality to it.

“We do,” Hesperos spoke up, his expression equally astonished as my own.

She studied both of us, her expression indiscernible. “The heirs of the restless Herkios and the patient Terlos. Interesting that despite what happened so long ago, you both ended up here today.”

“What did happen?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I can’t say it. Now, why have you called me from my realm?”

Hesperos stepped forward. “To ask about the Prophecy of the Caradig.”

The specter tilted her head. “The Caradig line was the most powerful of all the High rulers. You are both descendants of it, although the power has greatly diminished since.”

“That’s what we’re here for. How do we retrieve that magic?”

She leveled her gaze at Hesperos, as if realizing something. “You have already found an answer.”

“I have to be sure,” Hesperos said. “This power could change everything.”

“The Caradig power is mighty indeed. But retrieving it comes with a cost. When-” Suddenly, the specter began to flicker, her voice spluttering. She reappeared for a moment. “-only one-. . . -the power.”

And then she disappeared. After a moment, I realized that she wouldn’t be coming back.

“The spell must not have generated enough magic to keep her here,” Hesperos murmured.

“What exactly does this mean?” I asked, looking at the marble fountain where the specter had been, and then back to my friend. “You found a way to activate the magic?”

Hesperos nodded. “Yes. A few weeks ago.”

Something in his tone made me wary. “What exactly does it entail?”

“It needs a sacrifice.” Hesperos looked up, and without him saying it, I understood. He meant me. “You have been a good friend, Julius, but this is my destiny. And getting me there is yours.”

I took a step back, disbelieving and horrified at his newfound determination.

“Why?” I finally croaked out.

He shook his head. “If you can’t answer that question on your own, then you were never really listening to me.”

As he spoke, he had been wandering near a statue of a warrior. I realized what he was doing the second before he yanked the hero's sword off its stand. I rolled out of the way as the blade slashed through the space I had just been.

I ducked behind a row of statues and spotted a blue sword in the scabbard of a marble knight. I pulled it out and turned to face Hesperos. 

Both of us had been taught the art of swordplay, but I had never had to use the skill in a life or death situation.

Hesperos lunged, his sword a blur of steel. I whirled my own blade up to meet his, the metal clashing loudly against each other as we exchanged blows. 

We moved past the heroes of old with every parry and thrust. Hesperos gritted his teeth as his blade sliced towards me. I ducked under his blow and sidestepped. 

I swiped with my sword, but as I did, I felt a strange jolt in my arm. Suddenly, a tendril of energy snaked its way down my sword and blasted a nearby statue to pieces, the debris catching Hesperos in its wake.

I stepped back, eyes wide in disbelief. What was happening?

Hesperos shifted out from under the rubble, glaring at me. “The specter didn’t quite finish telling you everything. You see, this power goes to one descendant in a given century. In this one, it happened to be you.”

“Me? That doesn’t make sense. How would I not have sensed it before?”

“Because this cavern is magic. It is supposed to awaken what previously lays dormant. I found this place in hopes that it would be me, but to no avail.

“I’m not some random sacrifice,” I realized. “You brought me here to steal my power.”

“It’s nothing personal,” he said, retrieving his sword from where it had fallen. “But this has to be done. Thanks to our blood dropped in the fountain together, the power is shared between the both of us tonight.”

That’s when I realized that the blood and fountain hadn’t been to summon the Specter. The spell must have only required the words Hesperos had spoken. How long had he planned this?

Hesperos wiped the blood off of his lip as he stood up. “You don’t know what it was like, living in their halls, kneeling at their feet. They could never imagine a world in which the greatest power wasn’t their own.”

Perhaps his family had corrupted him after all. “Becoming a tyrant yourself won’t make this better.”

But he paid no heed to my words. “This is the only night where the power can be transferred. It has to be done or its potential will be lost forever. Don’t fight the inevitable.”

“Maybe the way to fix things isn’t by bringing this power back.”

He laughed, the blood on his mouth making him look even more ominous and fanatical. “You’re foolish to believe that.”

I wanted to argue with him, but as I opened my mouth, I hesitated. I could see it in his eyes, his posture, his entire being. This was not the friend I once had. The Hesperos I knew was gone, lost to something I didn’t even understand.

The first time I met Hesperos was on a boat dock. I was drawing figures in the sand, the grains sticking to my small fingers. 

Hesperos had set sail on a small boat, desperate to escape the confines of his family. And he had stumbled upon the island where I lived. He had appeared so quietly, I hadn’t noticed his presence until he was standing right in front of me.

We spent that whole afternoon drawing sticks in the sand, running from waves, searching for seashells and digging trenches to protect whatever we found. After that, we became close friends in the following years.

And now here I was, face to face with him. There was no sand, no seashells, no innocence. Now he was trying to kill me for a power I hadn’t even realized I’d possessed.

Quicker than I could react, Hesperos scooped up a handful of dust from the statue and tossed it at my face, clouding my vision as he lunged forward. 

I managed to meet my sword to his, but the impact sent me flying backwards. Whatever power I had, Hesperos had found a way to tap into it.

The earth rumbled beneath me as I tried to get to my feet.

“Earthshaker magic,” Hesperos said. “Not what I expected you to receive.”

I gritted my teeth, readjusting my grip on the blue sword. If this power truly was mine, I wasn’t going to let him bring me down with it.

I tried to tap into that new feeling; the tether of something otherworldly. It felt almost like deep raw strength existing within me. I summoned it up and as I did, one of the marble columns split, a crack reaching up the length of it.

I had no idea how to control this power. If only a small portion of it could do something like that, it was no wonder the ancient kings ruled unopposed. 

Hesperos ran towards me, his sword a blur of steel as it arced down to meet mine. From the way the earth split nearby, I could tell that he was trying to use the power as well. Fortunately, he was similarly unprepared for its strength. 

Unfortunately, the cavern was also ill-prepped. With the continual use of the destructive magic, the cliff that the temple was inside of had begun to shake around us. The walls were crumbling and rocks began to fall from the ceiling.

“Hesperos, you have to stop,” I said, dodging a pile of stone that collapsed nearby. “You’ll bury us alive in here. And then neither of us will have the magic.”

“If you would just give it to me, then this could all stop,” Hesperos hissed. “Nothing else has to be destroyed.”

But I wouldn’t give him the power. Even if it didn’t cost my life, the desperation with which Hesperos acted now made me fear what he was capable of if he gained magic permanently. 

Suddenly, a deep booming sound filled the cavern. I looked up in time to see the archway collapse in on itself. Hesperos turned to look behind him, realizing just as I did that we were about to be killed by this earthquake.

He desperately looked around, searching for another way out. 

But there was none.

I braced myself as the world caved in around us. But as the smoke blocked my sight, I felt a strange tug and my surroundings transformed.

*

I landed with a thud on the beach. 

The glow of oncoming daylight illuminated the sand around me as I stumbled to my feet, disoriented. 

A man stood on the sand in front of me, looking almost translucent in the faint light. I immediately recognized the crown that rested in his dark wavy hair.

“You’re Terlos,” I realized. Or a magical ghost-remnant of him, at least.

My ancestor tipped his head. “I am. I was able to use the recent surge of magic here to appear.”

I glanced guiltily towards the mountain where the cavern had been.

“Don’t feel bad about the temple, Julius. I always found it rather suffocating. If anything, it was your friend's fault, not yours.”

Hesperos . . .

“I could only save one of you, and this power is rightfully yours,” Terlos said, regarding me carefully with his unreadable emerald eyes. “I suggest you choose your friends more wisely in the future.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” I muttered. “What am I supposed to do now?”

“There is an ancient castle in the sky that will hold answers for you, as it once did for me. I suggest you find it.”

“Is that where you disappeared to?” 

Terlos opened his mouth, then hesitated, looking towards the rising sun. “I have to go now. There are powers greater than mine at play, and I have stayed long enough as it is.” He looked at me one last time and gave a sad smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

He disappeared, his light fading into the ocean.

I fell to my knees. I was back on the seashore, but now the only footprints left in the sand were my own.