The Fate of A Pendragon

A Boy Named Time

Pomplamoose- Mr. Sandman 

Lily: 

    This is no place for a kid. This place has some of the weirdest and deadliest plants I have seen outside of Crystallis. The floor is damp, the air is thick, the humidity is disgusting, and the noises are the kind that gives kids nightmares. The forest is alive and I have a hunch as to why people never come back out. There's an ancient here. 

    "You feel that?" Creation asked as we walked up towards the stone piles up ahead. The others turned to look at me. 

    "Spread out. Creation, go with the boys. Meer, you're with me," I ordered. "Put your masks on,"

    The scent she's releasing is strong. Very inviting. Should any of us go in without a mask we'd be enslaved to it and the person it belongs to. As we near the cave, my eyes begin to pick up on the mana in the roots around it. It's protecting her. I knelt down pushing my mana into the earth to mask our mana so that they don't attack. Meer materialized her staff. 

    "Take the lead. We'll follow," Creation nodded when they caught up.

    The two of us slowly began to move in. I went first and Meer followed behind me. I can see the pink mana in the particles of air around us. She's what makes this planet the way it is. Her cannon is love. A cupid born outside of its home or maybe isolated from the others.

    "You're trespassing, little girl," the voice is melodious compared to my deeper less girly one. 

    The inside of the cave looks like a massive mansion built in old New Orleans. The decor and the furnishings match. It's very nice and very well hidden. Not to mention protected. This cupid lives the life of a recluse romantic that thrives off the love of others. 

    "I would be if you didn't belong to me," I answered without stepping onto her beautiful floors. I don't want to upset her more than I already am. 

    "You don't look like Athena," she finally appeared in her elegant soft, pink, satin nightgown with a matching robe over it. There are nude, pointed, glossy pumps adorning her small feet. 

    "New order. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lilianna Pendragon. Goddess of War and Salvation," 

    "Pendragon," she smiled. "Come in beautiful. This must be Meerlyn Merlin, yes?" 

    "Yes," Meer nodded. The woman's hair is red and it glows like a Christmas light. I've never seen anything so pretty. I stopped Creation and the others from coming in after us.

    "New verse?" she asked. "How many ancients are left?" 

    "Not very many," I answered honestly. "You're the twelfth that I know of," 

    "Salvation has a price, huh?" she sighed taking a seat on her love seat. 

    "Can't save them all," I shrugged. 

    "Should I pack up or is this my end?" she asked. "If you're going to kill me, I'd like to go out on the bed. Strike a pose and maybe have a last martini," 

    "I'm not here for you," I laughed. "Even if I was, you're too pretty for me. I'd have one of my men take care of you," 

    "You still can," she winked. This time Meer laughed. "Not opposed to women either," she winked at her. "What are you here for, if I may ask, your majesty?" 

    "A boy. Twelve years old. Sets of mana triggers all over the place," 

    "Oh, my Time," she sighed. 

    "Yeah," I nodded. "Is he your son?" 

    "No, he was abandoned here a few years ago. I help him, he helps me. Loves to give gifts that one. Very charming, very strong. He was here last night," she pointed at the half-eaten sandwich and glass of apple juice. "He stops by and then runs off for days. Sometimes weeks. What do you want with him?" 

    "To protect him. Lots of people are after him. The old timekeeper is dead," Meer answered before I did. 

    "You are efficient," she smiled. "Good, that old f*****g ass hole was gross. Good riddance. What of poor Fate?" 

    "Dead," I answered. She shut her eyes a whispered a small prayer. "You're Verona Love," 

    "You know my name," she smiled. 

    "I know you're the reason why Fate stayed with him. You're the first Cupid," it makes sense. She stood up and nodded. 

    "Take it you're going to rethink killing me?" she asked. 

    "Why did you do that to her?" I asked. She let out a heavy sigh as she poured liquor into a mixer. 

    "When father time asks you to do something, you do it. I am worshipped and loved by many and all. I have a holiday in every religion and timeline. After I condemned her, I couldn't live in the spotlight anymore. I-" she poured the liquor in her cup. "She was a little girl. No older than four and she was starting to show strength. I refused the first time and he aged me twenty-eight millennia into the future. I stayed that way until she was eleven. When he returned, I gave him what he wanted. He reversed my clock and went about his way. I should have let him kill me," 

    "The boy. How far does he go when he's not here?" I asked, watching as she drank whatever it is she had made for herself. There are tears in her eyes. The regret in her voice is sincere. That's rare for Ancients. It's why I'm going to let her live. 

    "All over. He's impatient. Very driven and wild. I don't know who his parents were or where he learned to survive out in the wild but he's very gifted. Likes to hunt. It's rabbit season," she walked over to the back wall where she has the entire planet mapped out. "This is where the new bunnies are born. This is his hunting area. Be careful of the outskirts. There are wolf packs. Four are left I believe. These wolves are vicious. Easily compared to the war dog spirits. He knows not to mess with them," 

    "Thank you," I scanned the map and then took a picture of the area to send to the others. 

    "The bed?" she asked. I laughed. 

    "I'm not going to kill you, Verona. Athena speaks very highly of you. You should pay her a visit," 

    "You let her live. I don't know if that's generous or diabolical," she smirked. "Where?" 

    "Crystallis. Verse One," 

    "You're Arthur and Amaryllis's spawn. I did them both a favor by bringing them together. That war needed an end. Here you are," 

    "Here I am," I smiled at her. 

    "Are there more? Siblings?" 

    "Yeah, two more," I confirmed. She grinned. 

    "I love happy endings," she giggled to herself. 

    "Maybe it's time for you to come out of your hole. There are others like you. I'm sure they'd love to learn how to make an entire planet find love," I suggested. 

    "Your grace," she bowed. "Take care of Time for me. He's French. Temps. That's his name," 

    "Thank you," I nodded and began to walk out of the cave. "Stop eating the tourist, you cannibal," 

    "Mortal flesh keeps me young," she laughed. 

    "Find another source," I threatened. She let out a frustrated sigh. 

    "Perhaps it is time to move out," I heard her murmur.

    "I could have killed her, you know," Meer said as we all walked towards the direction Verona had pointed out. It's been two days. We need to move faster. "She used her power for something ungodly," 

    "I've used my power for ungodly things dozens of times. I've never regretted any of it. I used to punish myself for not feeling bad about the things I did, but I never really regretted it. I just kind of felt bad because of how easy it had been. I wouldn't deserve a second chance to live if I died today. She does. She regrets what she did so much that she only comes out once in a while to get what she needs. Gods aren't meant to live like that," 

    "No, we are not," Creation agreed. 

    We headed in the direction Verona had pointed out. I can smell blood out here. There are traps all over the place. I smiled as I looked them over. He's brilliant. Preston tracked the boy's movements until we met up with Gab and then Young. There are too many of us together so we decided to spread out at least one hundred yards for better coverage. We're getting to the outskirts and my stomach is starting to do somersaults. 

    "You think we're too far out?" Creation asked. 

    "Deadline is in a few hours. I think we're behind," I admitted.

    "No camping tonight?" Preston asked. 

    "No camping," I confirmed. I took a drink of water from my canteen and kept moving. 

    There are definitely wolves up here. Since I started training with Lolita, I've been trying to use my senses outside of my cannon. She believes that relying solely on our cannons is wrong and I think she's right. There may come a day when I might exceed my mana reserves and all I'll have is my actual senses. I'm far from being able to hunt rabbits and other moving things throughout the seasons, but I can get by. 

    My watch reads two hours and twenty-three minutes until this little boy is terminated. My body is starting to get anxious. My cannon is amping up, but with the ruby here, it's hard to really push my mana to do what I need it to do. Creation is already fighting the pull. I can tell by the way he rotates his shoulders and pauses to catch his breath now and then. The others are no better. 

    "Take a breather. I'm going to go up ahead," 

    "Don't be stupid," Creation grabbed my arm. 

    "I can't afford to lose him," I pulled away calmly so he knows I'm not doing this to spite him. 

    "I'll come with you," Preston offered, while he drank some water. 

    The two of us kept moving. The fact that Meer and Leon didn't protest is proof of how strong these rubies are. I've gotten a couple of small ones to make what I need but I need more. Preston held his hand up when I reached for my water canteen. I stopped scanning the area around us. I can hear them. The wolves. They're quiet. The way Lolita gets when she's hunting. 

    "We have to move," I whispered pointing up. He nodded. 

    I jumped up grabbing hold of the biggest branch I could find. I pulled myself up and began to move closer to the sound of the wolves. I can't see them from up here, but I can see what they're stalking. There's a small opening up ahead. He's sitting off to the right, half-hidden in the bush next to him. He's looking around but he's completely engrossed in the trap he's building. 

    Temps is tall for a twelve-year-old. His dark almost black hair is wavy, nearly reaching his shoulders. He's not wearing a shirt. He has hiking boots on and a pair of burgundy shorts that were probably pants not so long ago. He's a mess. On the floor next to him are two jackrabbits. That's where the scent of blood is coming from. What attracted me here and definitely what brought the wolves here. 

    "Go left," I whispered to Preston. He nodded and continued to move. 

    I can't make too much noise. I could give away his position or mine. Not to mention that I'm probably not the only deadly thing in this tree. The boy is still completely unaware of me and the wolves and he's almost done with his little contraption. If I'm right, he's getting ready to set up camp for the night and he's going to crawl under that thing. I like this kid already and I really hope he has a French accent to top off all that hunter charm. 

    I stopped when the vine he was using to hold his trap snapped causing a loud noise. He stopped the branch holding the entire thing together from going off with his left hand. I looked down at my watch to see that there are only three minutes left. I was going to do this a little more discrete but there's no time for anymore. I jumped down finally spotting a wolf. I rushed towards the boy materializing Excalibur. The end of my blade met with the inside of the wolve's mouth before it could bite into the boy. The entire top of its head came off.

    Preston is fighting with other wolves up ahead. I didn't think there would be this many. I pulled the boy towards me. As soon as his hand let go of the vine the entire trap went off killing two of the wolves instantly. His frightened eyes met mine. 

    "Jes suis la pour aider," I reassured him. (I'm here to help). He nodded. "Reste derriere moi," (Stay behind me). 

    Excalibur shifted down into daggers. The sword is too big for me to swing it around. With the little amount of mana I have, my armor dematerialized to give my attacks enough boost to kill these things in one strike. I took down the first two while the third attacked me directly biting into my right leg. I cried out bringing my dagger down on his head. I pushed it off when it let go and went straight for his neck. I turned around when the boy cried. There are two wolves on him. Taking advantage of the distraction another wolf jumped on my back. I gripped its fur and pulled him to me but it didn't let go. 

    "Li," the sound of Young's voice is music to my ears. I hit the wolf on my shoulder. 

    "The boy, Gray. Get the boy," I shouted. 

    He ran past me towards the boy. The wolf finally let go. I took my dagger and pushed it straight into its mouth. I panted as I pulled the dagger out and dropped the dead dog. I turned around to see that Young had taken care of the other wolves. The boy is lying unconscious. I rushed over to him and lifted him up towards me. 

    "Open your eyes, kid," I whispered. I pushed some of my mana into his wounds the way Creation taught me. "Come on, kid. Open your eyes," 

    "Suis-Je mort?" he whispered. I laughed. 

    "Non, tu es vivant," I let out a heavy sigh. (No, you're alive).

    "Es-tu un range?" (Are you an angel?) 

    "Mieux. je suis un dieu," (Better. I'm a God).