Jebidiah's Change Bk. 01 Ch. 03

Welcome back gentle reader

I've worked out in my head splitting book 1 into about 45 chapters and will end the first act somewhere around chapter 15. Once it is published I will re-evaluate where I am at in testing the writing waters. I've already written 5 chapters but I'm spreading out the publishing of them for feedback letting me tweak as needed. While the feedback so far has been better than I had any right to expect, I realize I have much to improve with my writing skills and storytelling.

Once again the standard disclaimer, multiply ages by roughly two to get equivalent Earth ages. Everyone is a consenting adult.

-- Somewhen, Somewhere --

Crystal's face loomed large in Jebidiah's vision, blotting out everything else. When her voice stopped, she faded away, leaving Jeb standing alone in a gray void.

Calm and unconcerned despite the circumstances, he looked around, picked a direction, and started walking. He knew he should be freaking out at this point but just clasped his hands behind his back and hummed a tune while he continued to plod on. With only the sounds of his steps and his humming as an indication of passing time, he had no idea just how long he walked nor if he was walking in a straight line, circles, or some random geometric pattern. There was just emptiness around him. He sighed and said to himself, "I really could use a landmark."

A muffled giggle caused him to turn, and he spotted a chair in the distance. With something to guide his direction, he closed in on the chair. It was a simple chair, three-legged without support and lacking a back. He realized it was just a stool. Odd, he thought, that really was a chair before. He thought about why someone had provided him with a chair that was a stool; he sat and waited while he pondered. Was a chair a stool with a back, or a stool a chair lacking a back? Which was a subset of the other? A niggling thought in the back of his consciousness warned him not all was right, but he was able to suppress it. Once he figured out his chair/stool dichotomy, he could concentrate on other things.

A hand was placed on his shoulder. He looked down to see a small feminine hand adorned with rings, then felt someone nibble on his earlobe and giggle again. She stepped into his view and twirled for his inspection.

The girl looked to be a year or two younger than him, wearing a diaphanous robe that left nothing to the imagination. Beautiful with alabaster skin, indigo flowing hair, a thin adolescent build, long legs, and starting buds for breasts with puffy nipples, she was a vision of burgeoning womanhood. Jeb enjoyed watching her dance before him. She wiggled a crooked finger in an invitation to join her. Jebidiah's body tried to rise but his brain hesitated.

Her gown flowed about her, hair waving in a steady breeze, yet the breeze did not touch Jebidiah himself. She pranced and twirled on bare feet, yet he heard no sound of her steps. She had brushed against him and nibbled his ear, yet his ear was dry. Even with passing that close to the side of his face, he had detected no aroma from her.

Jeb finally said, "I don't get it," and the girl abruptly disappeared. In her place, an old man stood, stooped and tired-looking. Even though the man stood directly before him, Jebidiah's intense study was unable to focus on any features like nose, eyes, or ears, only the whole.

"You were warned, Axteus," a new voice came up behind Jebidiah's chair.

The old man hissed then shrugged and stood straight without any signs of stooping or age, giggled in the girl's voice, then vanished.

A new man walked past Jeb's stool and regarded him. He looked to be a man in his prime, maybe early twenties, but again Jebidiah could not focus on any individual feature.

"It is a troublesome gnome. But come, you may call me Weldon. I am here to deliver a message from the others. The power calls, and we divine will answer. Axteus will have his mayhem and disorder, Lashan his wars, and those who follow the Light must answer our call. You possess the ability to see past Axteus, to see the reason within chaos, but you must see more. Trust your reasons. Check your premises."

With a flourish of his hand, the chair and gray expanse were replaced with the blackest sky filled with brilliant stars. Instead of sitting, Jebidiah now stood directly beside Weldon. Below was a portion of a vast ball painted in swatches of red, green, blue, and white. Weldon pointed under their feet to a black circle streaked with white, reminding Jebidiah of Crys' Judgment.

"This is your world, Prime of the Eight. You must prepare for Judgment. See that which must be seen. May this gift I grant serve you well in the war to come."

Weldon reached up and grabbed Jebidiah's head with both hands and pressed his forefingers into Jebidiah's temples. A blinding, searing pain caused him to wake.

-- Chapter 3: City of Tonstar --

-- Fourth Tenday of Antaen 813 AGR --

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

-- Clarke

Jebidiah sat up and screamed in pain, shaking his head side to side while forcing his palms against the horrid pain behind his temples.

"I need a healer!" a voice cried out. Hands grabbed hold of Jebidiah and tried to stop his thrashing. More joined in as his adrenaline filled strength proved too much. An incantation was cast nearby, but other than a flash of white behind his eyes, nothing changed. The pain did not go away and he continued straining against the hands and screaming. Another incantation was cast, a brighter flash of white behind his eyes and Jebidiah finally subsided back into a dreamless sleep.

Waking again, Jebidiah looked around and spotted Joy sleeping in a chair, slumped with an open book in her lap.

"Hey sleepy head, where are we?" he croaked. His tongue was thick in his mouth and didn't seem to work correctly. He worked himself into a sitting position.

Joy instantly woke and bolted for Jebidiah's bed, flinging herself onto him in a crushing hug. Joy was a plain girl, very short, slightly chubby, with curly black hair and large brown eyes. Her most defining physical features were her bountiful bosom and equally round ass. She had drawn Halfling for a Change and kept the more defining features through her Awakening. Short stature with feet more at home on a larger frame. Jebidiah could tell the gray tunic she wore was cotton by the feel of it when he hugged her back with one arm. The black pleated skirt she wore accented the bubble of her butt and he contemplated copping a feel.

Like Jebidiah, Joy was born on one of the outer farmsteads and had earned the early maturity and confidence that came with the dangerous profession of farming. Her bubbly personality and intelligence were what Jebidiah found most appealing about her. Everyone in the pod fit into a role for the whole. Dana was their rock, Tenner was their wit, Charlene was their mischievousness, Stern their strength, Crystal their wisdom, Polly their compassion, and Joy was their joy. She was an Artificer like him, and they planned on sticking together with Polly when their guild studies started.

"Thank the Divines you are okay. Are you okay? Any pain this time? How is your head? Headache?" Joy started up her rapid-fire questioning.

"No, no. I feel fine, just my head is a little fuzzy. Where are we? I don't recognize this room." said Jebidiah, looking around. Everything had a muted look to it.

"We're in the Lower Keep's infirmary. The healers couldn't figure out what happened to you or why you were in a coma. You were out for a full tenday then woke screaming three days ago. Do you remember that? What is the last thing you remember? Did you remember Crystal's Judgment?"

"Breathe Joy. Slow down a second. So I've been out for thirteen days?" He paused to poll his memory. Joy, still hugging his chest, stared up at him with her large brown eyes moist with unshed tears. He absently started to run his hand through her curls and continued. "I remember the Judgment, and I think Crys had a divination if that wasn't part of the dream? I had a dream or maybe it was another one about Crys, someone or something named Axteus, and a guy named Weldon though he called himself one of the divine. Where are the others?"

"It's hard to tell without windows down here, but it is fairly late. Some might still be up in the study hall, but everyone should be asleep. It was my turn to watch over you, and I figured I would keep a book for company since you are very boring in a coma. Borrrrinnnng. Oh wait wait. I need to summon the healer on duty. Stay here." She hopped up and dashed out of the room.

Jeb examined his surroundings. The room, lit in a uniform light from several light orbs situated along the walls, contained four beds. Several visitor chairs sat scattered about in different positions, and a small stand beside his bed held a stack of neatly folded clothing, a washing bowl, and a sponge. He sniffed himself and wrinkled his nose at the aroma. Testing his range of motion, he got out of bed and dressed. While pulling his tunic over his head, the door reopened, and Joy followed a younger woman into the room. "You should be resting."

"It sounds like I have had plenty of rest, doc. What I feel like I should be doing is washing this stench off of me with a nice warm shower followed by some food. I am starving."

The healer came up to Jeb, grabbed his head between her hands and started manhandling him, turning his head about so she could feel and examine his head making tsking sounds with her tongue. "Well, it is a good sign you can stand on your own and have an appetite. We need you to void to make sure your plumbing still works. Out the door, turn left, three doors down on the left is a latrine and shower room you can use. I will see if the kitchen is available to bring you leftovers from the evening meal."

"Works for me. I'd appreciate anything edible. Not picky." Jeb said as she pulled his lower eyelids down to examine his eyeballs while emitting more tsks.

The healer smiled and gave control of his head back to Jebidiah. She patted his arm saying "You'll live" and left the room. Joy replaced the healer's spot and hugged Jeb. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Thank you for being my Joy. Now I need a shower but I would like it if you spent some time with me when I returned."

"Of course!" she said with a smile that lit the room. "I'll go see if anyone is still awake."

They both left the room going separate ways. Jebidiah's desire for grabbing a shower first served two purposes. First, obviously, was the stress relief that comes from stepping out of a nice warm shower. Second, he desperately needed time to collect himself and clear the fuzziness inhabiting his brain. The corridor he walked down was perfectly square without supports or beams. The floor lacked covering but looked almost hazy and slightly tinted red. The walls were lined with more light orbs, small globes enchanted to produce a soft light, but all the lighting was muted. With the haziness of his vision and the fuzziness in his head, Jebidiah figured it was his head attempting to sort out and make sense of what happened. The Change, the Tally, what he dreamt, what it all meant. It was too much to sort out immediately, that would take time.

After luxuriating by standing in the steaming spray of the shower, one of the healers checked on him. Her questioning of his state broke him out of his meditations, and he assured her he was well. He quickly dried off and dressed to return to his room and see what the kitchens had offered. He was greeted by Joy, Dana, Tenner, and Princess Stephanie scattered among the chairs and beds in the room, with Dana and Tenner getting up to embrace him in tight hugs and several chaste kisses.

Dana and Tenner both wore the same outfit as Joy, gray cotton tunics with a black pleated skirt and sandals. Tenner was her normal self and had her tunic once again bunched up to show off her midriff. The Princess was out of her armor this time in a traditional noble-woman's dress. A long flowing skirt which covered her feet and laced bodice in the House Tonstar royal blue with slightly puffed white sleeves that reached her wrists. Her hair was tied back with a simple white and blue ribbon. Whereas her armor had given her a commanding presence, the dress and her bearing gave her a regal presence demanding just as much respect.

"Sorry my nap was a little longer than I intended," Jeb joked to keep the mood light. He wasn't sure how to address the Princess' presence. "What did I miss? What happened to Crys?"

Dana answered first, "First, are you okay? Joy said you appeared normal, well, your form of normal, when she came to find us, but I need to know how you feel."

"Honestly? I've never felt as uncertain as I do now, including having to question what is real and not. I mean, can we prove this is not my dream as well? I'm really not good with having to question reality." Jeb said seriously.

"What did you dream? You were out for a long time except for the screaming. Oh, and Crystal is in confinement." Dana said, casting a quick glance at her cousin while mentioning Crystal.

With Dana's acknowledgement of the Princess, Jebidiah turned and bowed to her in formal greeting. "Your Highness, I apologize for the lateness." Turning back to Dana he described his dream of the Divine in as much detail as he could. Everyone listened intently while Stephanie frowned toward the end. "Weldon? You are sure his name was Weldon?"

"I can only go by what the figment of my dream said, Your Highness."

The princess continued. "How much of the history of the Divine and their Ascension do you know?"

"It was never one of the things I cared about, Your Highness. I really only know of Darido's ascension."

Stephanie held up a hand to ward off further comment, stood, and pulled a cord hanging beside the doorway then waited in thought. A guard appeared shortly after. "Go rouse Master Standing and Lady Fields. Bring them both down here to me."

"At once Your Highness." The guard saluted and left.

Turning back to Jebidiah, Stephanie continued while absently rubbing at one of her temples. "We'll wait for Fields to continue dissecting your dream. As head of religious studies, she may pick up on things I miss. We really need to discuss Crystal's divination first. She might as well have released a dragon in a stable for as much chaos as she has sewn within the city and the Houses. We tried to contain the rumors, but even teleportation is slower than the speed of gossip."

She abruptly changed the subject. "How much of your childhood do you remember before you were brought to the orphanage?"

Jeb had to take a seat, digging at memories long buried. His time in the orphanage was not a pleasant one and he had worked hard at forgetting much of his childhood. There were few memories left before he entered formal schooling after his third name day. "I only remember parts of the final raid when my parents died. The sounds and the smells mostly. I know there were attacks before just like every other farm deals with, but they are like assumed knowledge with scattered remnants of sensory things for memories. Again, smells, sounds, that sort of thing. I know they happened, but I have no specific recollection. The same goes for my parents. I was a year and a half when they died."

The princess began pacing back and forth while talking. She seemed to glide and her slippered feet did not make a sound. "Crystal's divination declared your mother's surname as Valor and your father's as one of ours, a Tonstar. House Valor fell several generations ago with no heirs, and there are no records in the current register or the archives that could account for a Tonstar fathering you. Then there are the rest of her titles and proclamations. One thing puzzling the other diviners is her wording. Divinations are usually not so cryptic like prophecies, and speculation among the wizardry is running wild. I even heard a Master suggest a second Ascension. I'll give you a hint at some of the lighter thoughts being bantered about."

"`First of Your Name.` Of what kingdom? Human realms left Male rulers hundreds of years ago. Are you a threat? Should you be disposed of now while you are weak?" She continued.

"`House Fallen.` Seems simple enough with the Valor surname. But then there is `House Risen.` In conjunction with the other two, it paints a picture of House Valor rising to replace a fallen House Tonstar, and everyone is back to killing you while you are weak. Word has been spread that you will still be addressed as Overton."

"`Breaker of Bonds.` That's ominous as fuck. `Bond Reforged.` So you are going to recreate the bonding system when you can't be bonded in the first place? Can you be bonded? Again the question is should you just be killed now."

"`Scion of Power.` Child of who's power? Divine power? Are The Children involved? Kill him now."

"`Prime of the Eight.` As in THE Eight? Legends of old returned? Kill him now."

"`Mountain Sundered, Judgment Met.` Again ominous. Last time a mountain was leveled around here, thousands died. Kill him now."

"`Twenty bear witness the Trial of Twelve.` The Divine are involved and have a plan for you. There are other ways to interpret it, but this one suggests the Divine would not be pleased and may actively prevent your early demise. That part of Crystal's divination is the only thing keeping you alive. Your dream only reinforces that interpretation and we need to use that leverage to keep the hounds at bay."

"That is just what the internal conversations have been like. Crystal started off addressing the Children of Thelsomar, which has the Children already spreading leaflets calling for more devotions to the ancients." She stopped pacing then and faced Jebidiah. "This all is a lot thrown at you in short order while we have had over a tenday to consider meaning you have not had time to overthink it. I would like to know your thoughts on the matter."

Jeb just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I am not sure what I am thinking yet. When thoughts finish, I promise I will contribute them to the conversation. There's a lot churning in the back of my mind, possibly too much. What is going to happen to Crystal and me? Or our pod, for that matter?"

"If you haven't already been told, you are in the Keep's infirmary in their recovery room. Your pod will stay here on the Keep's grounds until Summer's Eve. You will enter the Academy on the first of Juntaen to join the new class. Due to the extenuating circumstances of your pod's Change, all of you will be entered as an intact group. You should also expect more to join you due to the number of Houses involved, but nothing has been decided. We do not have enough information, and any future members will probably be on a volunteer basis."

"As for the Stark girl, she is being held in stasis. I was waiting to see what happened with you before I brought her out of it."

Just then, a man and a woman entered the room. The man was tall and thin with a sharp beak of a nose and dark piercing eyes. He wore the robe of a higher ranking Artificer and a brooch signifying his Master title. The woman was of a short stature and wore a dress befitting a head priestess from a convent. Her face was veiled behind a white mesh of and she wore the cross of Darido upon her breast. Both of them had hair long gone gray and wore their age about them with an air of importance.

"Master George Standing and Lady Iona Fields, I present Jebidiah Overton the star of today's play and his supporting cast. Obviously, you know Dana, but we also have Tenner Stockmar and Joy Fortlin."