“Broken, this is what I am.” Chris kneeled before the huge statue and kissed its feet. “But you can at least allow me to fix myself, can’t you?”
A woman tapped Chris’s shoulder. “Are you finished?”
Chris jumped. “Yes, of course.”
“Then let’s go, the king will not wait for us.” The woman turned and stepped away from Chris and the statue.
“Mother,” Chris whispered to the statue. “Please, don’t interfere this time.” Then he turned and followed the woman. “Carla, wait.”
Carla stopped at the door of the temple. “What? We need to hurry.”
“I don’t have my sword.” Chris delved into a side room near the entrance of the small temple. He quickly rushed out with a sword in a poor and frayed scabbard in his hand.
“Chris, why would you need the sword for?” Clara pointed the pathetic-looking sword in his hand.
“I want to fight.” Chris gripped his sword hard.
“But if you fight, would she come?” Clara sighed. “You are the only reason our group has favor with the king, and not because of your fighting skills.”
“You think I am incapable, broken, just all the rest.” Chris hugged the sword closer to his body.
“I think that your mother, a goddess, is the reason we are successful.” Clara looked at her feet. “None of us could have had a chance defeating the monster we did without her help.”
“But I am a very good swordsman.” Chris squeezed the scabbard. “I can carry my weight in a fight.”
“What for?” Clara’s eyebrows knotted. “If you are not in danger, she will not come. You have to stand still in the coming fight, or we will all perish.”
“But we can fight a cyclops, we are quite formidable.” Chris shuffled from foot to foot.
“Chris, we don’t stand a chance against the cyclops.” Clara scoffed. “You think Maric can cast anything beyond illusion magic? Or Fiona, you think she can heal anything bigger than a small wound? And even I, you think I have such a powerful sneaking ability that I will manage anything besides running away from the fight?”
“You make it sound as if I am the center of the group.” Chris’s hand relaxed over the scabbard.
“Yes, of course, you are.” Clara tapped his back. “Broken or not, your mother is all-powerful.”
***
“I grant you my blessing and my favor.” The king waved his golden scepter at Chris and his group who all kneeled before him. “Go forth and protect your land. Go forth, heroes.”
Chris was about to cringe. The king knew that they were not up to the task, yet he favored this group of adventurers above all the others because of him. This made him feel even worse, broken beyond repair, destined to live under the shadow of his mother.
The group was given the best horses in the kingdom, the king’s best. But why wouldn’t he give them the best, he was certain that the horses would return in good health as if they never went on a dangerous quest.
Chris looked back at Fiona and Maric, they were eating and joking. They too knew how broken Chris was, and they depended on it. Adventurers on a quest of such magnitude would not spend the time of the journey snacking and joking, they would be alert, poised for action, and they would be at least tense. Not Chris’s group, they knew that all they had to do was tease the monster to where Chris stood, then their problem would resolve itself.
“She is supposed to be in those caves.” Clara pointed to a mountain riddled with caves around a hundred feet ahead. “Dismount and proceed on foot.”
Chris sighed as he dismounted. He eyed the sword strapped to the horse for a moment, then released it and stuffed it under his coat.
“Come on Chris, why are you dallying?” Maric called around ten feet ahead.
“I am coming.” Chris jogged to where the others headed.
“You think she might have cubs?” Fiona asked.
“The more the merrier.” Maric snorted. “As many heads as we bring back, the bigger the reward.”
“Wait a minute.” Chris stopped. “I will not kill any cyclops cubs.”
“Chris, not again.” Clara sighed.
“Just for your information, you tricked me the last time when we killed the vulture god,” Chris said heatedly. “If I knew she had young ones, I would never have accepted the quest.”
“Grow a backbone,” Maric growled. “The cyclops feeds on the travelers of the road, so as her cubs, and you think we should spare them?”
“Let the king send another group of adventurers then,” Chris shouted. “I will not be a part of this.”
“You know, we don’t even need you to be aware.” Maric twirled his knobbed staff. “A knock on the head would resolve all your protests.”
“Stop it Maric.” Fiona cried. “You will not do any such thing to Chris.”
“But you heard what he said, he doesn’t want to get involved.” Maric pointed at Chris with his staff.
“Alright, Maric, let’s see if you can knock me out.” Chris pulled the sword from under his coat and threw the scabbard to the ground.
“Chris, you brought the sword.” Clara groaned. “Why?”
“Wait.” Fiona cried as Maric whispered under his breath and advanced on Chris. “I hear something.”
Chris bunched his muscles and smiled at the advancing Maric.
“She is right.” Clara looked worriedly at the caves. “I also hear something. I think the cyclops has heard us.”
Maric swiped his staff at Chris’s head, but Chris jumped back and struck the staff with his sword. The staff flew from Maric’s hand. “Son of …” Before he finished his curse, a rock the size of two of their horses landed an inch away from Maric’s left.
“Chris, watch out!” Fiona screamed as another boulder flew at Chris from the caves.
Chris jumped back, but he was too slow, the boulder was still on its way to crush him. Chris smiled, maybe he will be broken for real, body and soul this time. No more exploiting of his mother.
The boulder touched his head. And it stood hanging in the air for another second before dissolving into a cloud of dust.
“Chris, did you call honey?” A beam of light shot from Chris’s right and hit the cave. A woman of medium height and a comely face stood to Chris’s right. Light shot from her eyes and hands hitting the entire mountain, which glowed red, then white, then dissolved altogether.
“Hello, mother.” Chris dropped the sword. “Come again to save your wayward, broken son?”
If you liked this story, please check these other serialized stories as well: The Black Rose, Part one, The old Road, part 1, and All That Water, part 1.
Also, check our published books: The Green Boy, Red’s Soul, Through The Storm, The Eternal Agarthans, The Trinity’s Dream, and Trove of Tomes 2.
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