The Guild Book I - 10. Chapter 10

Joshua woke with a sudden start to find Gerick's eyes staring down at him. It was a power filled look... a hungry look. "Gerick..."

Between heavy breaths Gerick answered. "His lust was your lust... his power reflected yours... His lust is now my lust... his power my own!"

"Gerick?" Joshua said... feeling fear growing inside him.

"I went to see Vard... to save him from his madness, to save you. You were right... Vard was on the verge of insanity but now his madness is inside me."

"What can I do?"

"Run Joshua... run away. You must stay away from me."

"But." Joshua said as panic grew in his voice.

"Run Joshua... Run!"

Filled with terror Joshua ran out of the barracks... running towards the hanger where he knew Austin would be. Behind him he could hear Gerick's inhuman screams.

"What is that sound?" Thomas asked, stopping the kiss he was about to give Austin before it had been delivered.

"Who cares." Austin laughed as he nuzzled his nose against Thomas' check.

"No wait... I heard it again... sounds like someone screaming."

"You're right." Austin agreed, reaching for the work table where his shirt was.

Just at that moment, the two young men saw Joshua running toward them... stark naked.

"Joshua!" Both men shouted as one.

"Austin... we need to leave!" Joshua shouted.

"Why... what's wrong?"

"Gerick... I don't know what he did but his is losing his mind."

"Well I don't see why the three of us can't knock some sense into him." Thomas grinned as he picked up a hammer.

"You don't understand..."

At that moment an even louder scream came from the barracks.

"Please... we must leave!" Even hundreds of yards away Joshua could feel the terrible power radiating from Gerick.

For a brief moment both men were silent. Then Austin spoke. "Alright... get aboard assault shuttle seven."

"We can't steal an assault shuttle!" Thomas replied.

"I don't see we have much choice." Austin replied as he threw Joshua a flight suit.

"But..." Thomas was about to protest again only to be stopped by the sound of a sudden explosion.

Within five minutes all three men were aboard the assault craft as it raced toward the runway... passing by several dozen soldiers who were running toward the explosions coming from the barracks.

Just as the craft turned on the runway, a forbidding voice came on the radio. "Joshua... Joshua... where do you think you are going?"

"Gerick..." Joshua jumped.

"Where do you think you can go Joshua? Come back... come back to me... the madness has past."

"Joshua?" Austin asked questioning... his hands on the thrust control.

Joshua's face twisted as he struggled to free himself from the hold Gerick was trying to trap him with. "Go... Go... GO!" He finally shouted.

"Fine with me!" Austin said with relief accelerating the ship off the ground.

"Come back Joshua... come back..." Gerick voice called after them until Thomas reached over and turned the radio off.

In the flaming ruins of the barracks Gerick watched as the assault ship fly away... taking Joshua away from his grasp. Surrounding Gerick in the ruins, with vacant expressions on their faces were dozens of twenty one year old men.

Dawn was just appearing over the horizon when the assault ship arrived at the entrance to the Canyon of Last Hope. There Austin hesitated.

"Why are we not going through?" Thomas asked after the ship had circled the mouth of the canyon twice.

"I need to wait for the wind to stop changing." Austin replied nervously.

"Why can't we fly over the canyon?" Joshua asked.

"Too much turbulence."

Abruptly there were several blips on the radar. "It looks like Gerick does not plan on waiting." Thomas moaned.

"Then I guess we have no choice." Austin grunted as he accelerated the ship into the canyon.

Without charts and with the changing direction of the wind, Austin was tested to his limits. Twice the ship brushed the walls of the canyon, damaging both wings and rupturing a fuel tank. Still it was a mark of Austin's supreme flying skills that they arrived on the other side.

"Good work Austin." Thomas said as he planted a kiss on his check.

"Good work." Joshua agreed, hugging the man from behind.

"Don't thank me yet... we only have one fuel tank left. Do any of you know of a place where we can hide and make repairs?"

"No..." Joshua replied.

"There is my father's hunting lodge." Thomas offered. "It is only an hour away from here."

"Does Gerick know about it?"

"He knew we had one around here but had never been to it so I don't know if he knows where it is or not." Thomas replied.

There was then silence as both birth kin looked toward Joshua. "I don't think we have much of a choice." Joshua finally replied.

An hour latter Austin landed the damaged assault ship in wooded clearing.

"You should find the parts and tools you need in the barn." Thomas said... pointing to the large red building.

"Thank you...I'll get started at once." Austin grunted.

"Wait." Joshua shouted.

"Yes?"

"I want you to try something first."

When Vard awoke it was to find himself too weak to move but filled with a strange calm, the madness that had been eating at him gone.

Looking up he was glad to see the faces of his three dearest friends... Broken Claw, Sparrow, and White Cloud. He was so glad to see them that he did not notice the worried expressions on their faces at first.

"Can you hear us Vard... if you can, don't try to speak. Just blink your eyes twice." White Cloud said.

Vard blinked his eyes.

"Good... we have been so worried about you." Sparrow said as he placed a damp cold cloth on Vard's forehead.

"More than worried." Broken Claw chuckled nervously.

"The Clan chiefs thought you died. They would have burned your body had not Claw and I had killed the few who tired," Sparrow said.

"Birth kin?" Vard asked... his voice harsh.

"They are all gone... all but us that is." Broken Claw said sullenly.

"A strange man with grey hair and and eyes like yours appeared out of nowhere...and commanded...COMMANDED that the birth kin follow him across the Void. And they did! Traitors!" White Cloud shouted.

On hearing Gerick described, Vards mind was filled with the memory of what had happened... how he had given up his power to the stranger. "No... it's alright... I feel better now. The madness is gone."

"Madness? You might have been acting like a sexual maniac but so have all of us lately."

"That was my fault... I was feeding my lusts into my kin... into poor Joshua. Joshua, what have I done?"

"That is what he would like to know." A sad voice spoke from the foot of the bed, triggering the pulling of knives.

Looking up Vard recognized the man... "Austin?"

"So you remember my name." He said with relief.

"Who is this man... and where did he come from?" Broken Claw demanded.

"Across the Void... from Wor?" Vard remembered

"Yes." Austin nodded.

"Why have you come back?" Vard asked.

"To find out what happened to you. Did you really give up you power to Gerick?"

"Was that the man's name? Yes I did...and good riddance."

"Good riddance for you... bad news for us." Austin said sullenly.

"I don't understand. I though my madness was the problem."

"It was a problem... but now we face a larger one. Gerick now has your power and more... the birth kin are flocking to him by the thousands and he is creating Protectors by the tens of thousands. Already the free states have fallen... the Guild and its allies hold on but Prime Minister Toran is already contemplating surrender. Once Gerick has all of Wor under his control there will be nowhere that Joshua can hide."

"Can you not bring Joshua here through the void?"

"I would if I knew how... as of now all I know how to do is bring myself here." Austin replied.

"What can I do? I can not even lift a sword."

"We can find more birth kin and regain your power?" White Cloud suggested.

"I do not want to fall into madness again." Vard protested.

"Then find them slowly... let your power grow gradually this time so that it does not overwhelm you." Austin replied.

"We will have to this time... we no longer have an army." Broken Claw laughed.

"But if we go too slowly we will be too late to save Joshua." Sparrow pointed out.

While the other's debated this and that plan Vard went looking into his heart. Was Joshua worth the risk of falling into madness again? Did he have the time to learn how to control his power this time? To the first question the answer was a quick yes. Even though they had never met... Joshua was still the center of Vard's life. The second question was debatable... if he hurried in rebuilding his power then he might go insane. If he went too slowly then Joshua would indeed be captured by Gerick.

"I will do what I can." Vard finally said.

"That is all I can ask." Austin bowed. "Is there anything you wish me to tell Joshua before I go?"

"Tell him I love him. Every day without him seems like an eternity. Tell him I ache to hold him in my arms."

"I will." Austin said as he offered his hand to the clan chief.

Taking it Vard felt the birth kin's strength pass into him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Austin grinned as he faded back into the Void.