Weekly Drabble #210: Breaking the Circle (Patreon)

This week's prompts are 'waiting for the end' from Dyinglight and 'almost doomsday' from William M. This story went through three different forms before I settled on this version; one more science fiction, one more apocalyptic, but this seemed to work the best and got me writing the most, so I worked the original draft into something a little more fleshed-out. Hope you enjoy!

~

Breaking the Circle:

What was that old saying?Angelina Carter, the ‘Shadowbreaker’ thought as tears ran down her cheeks, mingling with the blood. She’d been slashed across the face, from cheekbone to temple and she barely felt it, not compared to the pain inside her as she held her dying son, her broken sword still lodged in his ribs. The tyrant’s reign was done. His army was lost, his keep burned and by her hand, he’d fallen.

It was over. It was finally over. Once and for all.

He held onto her son as if he were going to melt away, but there were no more tricks now. He was solid, he was real and he was dying in arms. The King of Shadows, Jason Carter, looked up at his mother and for once there was no pain or rage in his eyes. She smiled back down at him, her blood, sweat and tears dripping onto his chest.

She stroked his cheek. “My boy. My beautiful little boy. It’s all right,” she choked on the words. “It’s all right now.”

For want of a nail.That was it. For want of a nail. But for her, it hadn’t been a nail.

~

For want of a key.

The gods of this world were cruel. Angelina Carter knew that now. She supposed she always had, since the day they’d taken her away from her son. It had been a storm. Jason had been outside playing in the yard when the clear skies had darkened and the swirling tornado’s funnel had descended down from the heavens.

She wasn’t even supposed to be home that day. She wasn’t feeling well and she thought she’d stay home with her son. She always promised herself that she’d spend more time with him, but ever since she’d lost Jake, she’d struggled. She needed to put in the extra hours. The Parson account was almost done, and she just needed to push a little more to get it finished before the deadline. There’d been water-cooler talk that it was worth a promotion. That meant more money and she could cut back on her hours. She could spent more time with Jason. He was growing up so fast. It seemed like just yesterday that he’d been a baby held tight in her arms. When she realized she’d misplaced her housekeys, she’d made herself a promise. If she didn’t find them in five minutes, she’d stay home.

She found them after four minutes. She was, she’d been told, supposed to find them after two, but she’d let herself get distracted by Jason showing her one of his drawings. She should have said ‘Not now, honey’ and kept looking. That was how it was supposed to go. What was two minutes? A lot. In those two minutes, her babysitter Karie got a text from someone else with a different emergency. She’d been on her way out the door when Angelina called.

For want of a key, the call wasn’t made.

For want of a call, the babysitter didn’t come.

So she’d stayed home. Instead of staying inside like Karie would have as Jason played outside, she took her tablet outside to work and watch him, so she’d been right there when the clear skies vanished like swiping away a photo filter and the storm appeared. Karie would have noticed. She would have been keeping an eye on him through the patio window as she streamed TV on her laptop, but the moment it took her get outside would make  all the difference. If she’d been there, Jason would have been taken. That was how it was supposed to go.

For want of a babysitter, her son wasn’t unattended.

For want of inattention, the storm didn’t succeed.

The funnel spiralled and coiled down from the churning clouds like a living thing, Jason saw it coming, dropping his toy truck as he stood transfixed in fear as the winds picked up around him, the trees shook and the thunder roared. Dropping her tablet, Angelina had run towards her son, picking him and rushing him towards the house. She’d dropped him as the winds caught her, shouting for him to get inside, all but throwing him towards the door. The last thing she’d seen of her boy was his terrified face looking through the window... looking up at her in terror as she was pulled into the sky.

For want of the storm, a hero was lost.

For want of a hero, the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a key.

~

Things had gone black and stayed that way, even when she’d woken up. She’d been in total darkness, whispers and susurrations surrounding her. She thought she’d died, but she’d hurt too much to think that was true.

You are not, the voices accused as she climbed to her feet, the one.

“The one?” she’d demanded. “What one? What is this? Where am I?”

The voices rustled, talking among themselves in words she couldn’t understand, but somehow made her shiver. She couldn’t see anything around her, the darkness tightening and shifting like swirling fog.

This is the in-between, she was told. A place neither yours nor ours. You were taken by mistake.

Another rustle, like the wind through glass and grass.You should have looked harder for your keys.

“My... my keys? I don’t understand.”

No. No, you don’t. You are not the one. Your son. We must have your son.

“Jason?” a thrill of horror filled her as she remembered the way the tornado had dipped and curved towards her backyard, as if it were searching for something... searching for Jason. “You were trying to take Jason?!”

Yes, the voices almost sounded apologetic. He is the one.

“I don’t understand.”

A darkness rises,she was told, the blackness drawing back. In the air, images formed,showing her pictures of an idyllic medieval countryside. Then, shadow fell across it. Houses burned. Towns were torched. Screaming men and women were slaughtered by soldiers; rabble, knights, things that might have been humans and things too horrible for Angelina too look at for long. The darkness rises and it will consume our world. Your son can end it. It is his destiny.

“He’s just a boy!”

He will grow. He will learn.More images. Pictures of Jason now, then of him turning into a russet-haired youth and from there, a man. A towering figured in armour, standing before a black keep, companions at his side and an army with them. He will become the champion. He will stop the darkness.

“Find someone else! You must have people that can do this. Or find someone else from our world. Not my son. Not my boy.” Tears fell down her cheeks. “Not him.”

It can be no one else. Only him. It is his destiny.

“I don’t give a damn about destiny! You’re not taking my son!”

It must be him. It must be. A nation depends on him. A world, Angelina Carter.

“I don’t care!”

You do. You would not sacrifice millions. You would not tear so many other sons and daughters from their own mothers. You would not leave them weeping over the bleeding, broken forms of their children.

She wanted to scream. “No,” the words slipped from her like thieves through shadows. “No. But he’s my son. I carried him. I nursed him. He’s my little boy.”

He is, but he will become a hero. Would you put him above the lives of millions? If you asked him, what would he say?

Angelina closed her eyes. Jason had a good heart. He loved to help. “Yes,” she admitted despondently. “He’d say yes.”He’d do it. Damn it and damn him, but she knew he would.

Then we must have him.

“You can’t. He’s kind and gentle. He’s not... he can’t be what you need!”

He will become it.

“How do you know?”

He must. He will. For the good of millions. It is his destiny. We have seen it.

Millions of people... but Jason... he was her son... Her son.

She hadn’t spent enough time with him. Now she was going to lose him. They were going to take him away from her. “What...” her voice cracked. “What will happen to him? Show me. Please.”

The voices rustled once more, debating amongst one another.

He will know fear, they told Angelina, showing her what was in store for Jason. Her son, alone and afraid as he was plucked from his home and thrown into anew world. Cowering next to a fire he’d made, hungry eyes staring at him from the dark as something awful emerged, its mouth wide...

He will know courage. He pulled a burning stick from the fire and fought the beast as it snapped at him. He will know friendship. He met other children. He will know kindness. A lanky tomboy smiled at him from under her dirty cap. He will know hardship. A towering old knight glowered down at him, driving him to train harder and harder. He will know trials. Her son leapt into a raging river, pulling a woman and her baby from the waters. He will know pain. He screamed as he clutched his burnt hand, tears streaking his face as he stared up past the point of a sound.

He will know loss.He fell to his knees among the bodies of his friends, a spear driven through the old knight’s chest. He’d died attempting to protect the rest of the children. The girl, the sole survivor of this slaughter, put her arms around Jason as he sobbed.

He will know strength. He was a man now, strong and bronzed from the son. He will know suffering.The girl, now a woman herself, cauterized a wound on his stomach, both of them surrounded by bodies of inhuman things. He will know love. He pulled the woman to him, kissing her deeply as they lay next to a crackling campfire.

He will know loyalty.More allies joined his cause. Knights, mages, thieves and more. He laughed with them, drank with them. He will know betrayal. The woman he loved stood over the bodies of his friends, her eyes turned black, blood on her knife. He will know grief. He will know despair.

He will know determination. He led an army against the enemy keep. He clashed swords with his lover. She was laughing as she tried to cut him down, tears streaming from her black eyes.He will know sorrow. As she died in his arms, the darkness left her and she kissed him a final time.

But in the end, he will know victory. He stood before a form of smoke and shadow, the dark creature that had wrought all the misery and pain in his life, his sword raised, a roar on his lips as he faced his final enemy. And our world will know peace.

Angelina covered her eyes with a hand. She’d seen her entire son’s life before her eyes. She’d seen all his triumphs... and the tragedies that had birthed each one. “Is this what has to happen?” she asked. “Does it have to be this way?”

It is his destiny. It is his fate. It is in his blood.

His blood... “Take me,” she demanded before she each realized what she was saying. “Take me instead! Not him!”

The voices had chittered and stirred in agitation. He is the one,they told her. He is the hero. He is the one that will succeed. The one fate has chosen.

“I don’t give a damn about fate! He’s my son!” Her voice had faltered and she’d looked away. “He’s just a little boy. You said it yourselves! It’s in his blood! I’m his blood. Why can’t I do this?”

It is not your fate.

“I told you, I don’t give a damn about fate! I can do this, can’t I?”

The rustling and whispers went on for a time. It... is possible, the voices admitted at last. But is it not destined. Only your son is foretold to end the reign of the King of Shadows. All others will fail. Only he will succeed. You... you might.

“I’ll do it. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”

The voices spoke among themselves for another long time. We grant you seven years, they told her. Seven years to end the darkness. If you have not done so in that time, we will take your son.

“I’ll do it,” she repeated. “I will.”

This is not a promise to make lightly, Angelina Carter. This tampers with the lines of fate and the scripture of prophecy. There will be a price to pay. You will suffer more than he would have and if you fail... he will still succeed, but his pain, his despair, his losses and his anguish will double and double again. If you do not succeed, he will suffer greatly. This is the cost for defying fate. Do you understand?

“I do.”

Then come to us now. Come to us, Angelina Carter and let us see if a mother’s love can indeed defy fate.

~

“Mommy... I missed you...”

Those were the last words the King of Shadows whispered before he died in his mother’s arms. Angelina Carter held onto the broken body of her child, bowed her head and wept. She’d saved a nation and a world, but she’d lost everything.

She kissed Jason’s forehead. There was still a touch of the boy she remembered in his features. In death, his face was calm. There was no trace of arrogance now. No cold anger, hatred, disgust or self-loathing fury. It was like he’d simply fallen asleep, like a young man under a clear sky to dream of possible futures.

“I missed you, too,” she told him. She held onto him for a long, long time, before she lifted Jason’s still form into her arms. Her friends and allies looked at her as she passed them by.

“What happened?” they asked.

Without looking at them, the woman they called Shadowbreaker carried the body of her son out of the castle. “The circle’s broken,” she told them.

~

Somewhere beyond the black keep and the blood that filled its halls, beyond the tyrant’s lands, the nation he would have burnt and the world he would have cast into darkness, a boy named Jason Carter who hadn’t seen his mother since the day she saved him from the storm, looked up at the clear blue sky and wondered about all the possibilities that the future would bring.