Have hope my child as I recite

  Of a world asunder, and Oceans faded

  Listen close ye, this fog filled night

  About a land upheaved, with mountains abraded

  I tell you now, of a blighted haze

  That strangles the sky of all its blue

  On we fight, the destruction wrought

  Ever seeking for a land anew

  Through this fog, march we must

  Amidst all peril and far from sun

  Night and day over rock and dust

  Our quest we seek, a curse undone

  Remember child and bring forth hope

  A city tall, a people wide

  Honor now those young and old

  Who sought forth life and only died

  On we march every day

  Treading through this fog forlorned

  Hope we seek, though far away

  Our home, Our Earth, our lives are mourned

  Cut from Night of Fog by Lord Enoch

  Collected in Memories of a Lost World page 45

  Chapter 1

  Erik Cookson pressed himself against the towering rock as pressure slowly built in his gut. On the other side of the rock, his allies were in a fight for their lives. Their foe was Lamoch the Seeker, a man renowned throughout the land. Erik’s mind raced as he waited for his chance to strike, a chance he feared would never come. He took in a deep breath and stepped closer to the edge, his fists opened and closed.

  “Fire rain!” Adylin Weberg screamed and the sky began to glow. Giant orbs of red hot fiery death started to rain down upon the ground. Explosions rang out behind Erik, still he waited for the perfect opportunity. The moment Lamoch would be most distracted.

  Erik’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the red glow around him slowly began to increase. This set off alarms in his mind and drew his gaze upwards. A giant red ball of fire was crashing towards him. He cursed as he ran out from behind the rock.

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  “Foggin Adylin, you trying to kill me.” He screamed as he scanned for Lamoch.

  His gaze locked onto a man blasting the fire balls with giant blades of wind. They did little more than deflect the orbs, still, it was an effective deterrent. It now made sense why Adylin lost a bit of control.

  “I did no such thing.” Adylin replied as she dodged a blade of wind shot at her by Lamoch.

  “Earth Gate!” Erik exclaimed as he shoved out his hands, pillars of earth rolled through the ground before they shot up around Lamoch. A second before they reached him Lamoch turned towards Erik and smirked, the wind gathered below him. An instant prior to the closing of the earth, the man shot out above the dome and landed upon it.

  “Aqua lance!” Charles Petra shouted as a ball of water quickly shot towards Lamoch. The orb slowly shifted into a cone as it neared the man.

  Lamoch turned towards his foe all the while his hands moved slowly and deliberately. “Scattering Ice,” he softly muttered. The cone of water quickly froze and exploded into a smattering of small ice chunks.

  “That’s not what would happen,” Audrea said as her hands fell to her hips. “Besides Lamoch doesn’t have any ice skills.” The image in Dominic’s imagination fell as the conversation put a halt to their game. His friends replaced the stalwart figures of legend that once stood in their place. Without the focus of war another impulse slowly came to the forefront.

  “Yeah Seth,” Kole said as he walked towards the slightly older kid. “Lamoch doesn’t have any ice skills. You have to take that Ice lance to the chest.”

  “I slotted it in because Lamoch would have expected this fight,” Seth replied before he stuck out his tongue. “And it would’ve been water not ice.”

  “That’s not how it works. Right Dominic.” Kole replied as he looked towards Dominic. “He has to take the damage from the aqua lance right.”

  “I don’t know. Lamoch is smart.” Dominic replied as he squirmed a bit from the pressure that had slowly been building in him. Now that the excitement has been paused, he could no longer ignore it. “I’ll be back, I’ve got to go to the bathroom.” With that he turned and took off towards his house just down the hill, as fast as his little legs would take him.

  He forced himself to slow when he neared his house as memories of his mother’s anger shuttered through him. He fought the urge to run as the pressure slowly built. With great restraint he slowly opened the door and turned the corner. Ten more grueling steps passed before he felt relief and the pressure slowly left his body. A flush and a wash of his hands and he was ready to return to his friends. Before that, though, he would get himself something to drink.

  Softly he walked through his house, again trying to avoid his mother’s wrath. He paused, however, as he neared his kitchen. The voices of his mother and grandfather had reached his ears. Slowly, he stepped his way to the door.

  “I will not risk another one in that country.” Charles, his grandfather, said. “You know what they did before.” His voice was soft as if he restrained his rage.

  “And what did that prevent,” his mother, Trina, replied. “Frank still chased after you.” A long pause followed, and Dominic resisted the urge to look into the kitchen.

  “I will not support him going to the Academy,” Charles finally replied. “It is too dangerous.”

  “You don’t have to,” Trina said harshly. “Lamoch has already given him a scholarship. He will be going.” Again, a pause followed.

  “I will have a word with Lamoch, it is too dangerous for a Petra to stay in Cascadia.” Charles replied. “You know my reputation.”

  “Then he doesn’t need to go as a Petra,” The words carried thorns which held the air in silence for a few seconds. “My son wants nothing more than to be a knight, just look at him play with his friends every day.”

  “Every child pretends to be a Knight Trina,” Charles replied. “He will get over it in time.”

  “Frank never did,” Trina snapped, and a crushing pause filled the air. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, I’m sorry.” Dominic had never heard his grandfather so defeated.

  “Charles, it's as if you don’t understand your own family. It was never the Knighthood these two sought. It was always you, they wanted to be like you. It is your shadow that they seek.” Trina admonished. “Why do you think he anticipates your every story even though he’s heard them hundreds of times already.”

  “So, it’s my fault,” Charles snapped, then let out a sigh. “I just wanted them to understand. A Knight isn’t all it is pretended to be. My stories weren’t meant as encouragement.”

  “Nothing ever goes as we intend,” Trina replied, her tone a bit distant. “Yet life is all that much greater for it. Charles, Dominic will be going to the academy. Either with your blessing or without. Don’t wound yourself more by being stubborn in this.”

  “Fine,” Charles replied. “I will speak to Lamoch. He can go, but not under my name. He will need to go as an orphan like the rest.” Silence filled the air once more and Dominic didn’t understand. He wanted to go and ask them what was going on, yet, he held back. He didn’t want to get in trouble for listening at the door.

  “They can’t know that he is my relative.” That final sentence was nearly a whisper from his grandfather.

  Dominic left at that moment. His chest was hurting more and more as he heard the conversation. Silently he exited and slowly he walked towards his friends. For some reason he didn’t feel like playing anymore.