David Bishop and the Legend of the Orb by T.C. Crawford (tools of titans ebook .txt) 📕

The man was dressed in plain, off-white robes and had long white hair that flowed down his back. He held a long metal staff with a crystal ball on its crest in his hand, using it as a walking stick.

The woman to his side had long dark hair with crystal blue eyes and a face that was delicate, yet firm. What little skin was not covered from her rose-colored, silk-like robe seemed to radiate a soft glow in the dim-lit room. David cautiously watched from behind the pillar as the pair walked up to the pedestal, careful to make sure he didn’t expose himself too much and garner their attention.

“Ah. Just as I had suspected…. the orb is missing.” said the elderly man.

David looked down at his hand to confirm what he had seen in his vision. The back of his hand had the orb embedded into his skin, only it was flat like a tattoo. It was glowing softly, emitting the same soft pulsing light as before. He looked back up to watch the couple, trying to determine if they were a threat or not.

“Do you think…could it be…that the warrior from the prophecy has finally come?  I thought it to be just a legend, a childhood story. You do not think it to be true, do you, Tyrius?” she asked the man.

“That I cannot answer, child, but one could only guess that it may indeed be true. Otherwise we must assume the worst – that it has been stolen by a powerful wizard the likes of which we have not seen in ages.” said Tyrius.

He turned around and looked at the young woman with fierce intensity.

“I must alert the Royal Guards at once and tell them what we have found. They will send out a search party to try and find the missing orb – if indeed that can be done! If that orb has wound up in the wrong hands it could be the end of the world as we know it! Alternatively, if the warrior from prophecy has truly come, we must find him first or risk losing everything.”

Tyrius put his hand on the woman’s shoulder and stood silent for a moment, letting the implications sink in. “Erin, you understand the importance of what is happening, don't you? The fate of the world depends on us now, you understand?”

The young woman shook her head. “Yes…I think so.”

Convinced his message was well received, Tyrius let go of Erin’s shoulder and seemed prepared to leave but stopped briefly.

“In the meantime, search the room. There may be something that will give us a clue of what has happened here. Once you finish your investigation and are certain there is nothing left to find, report back to the Elders at once. As for me, I will go and speak with the King. He must be informed of this development! And Erin…be careful!”

“Yes, Master, as you wish.” replied Erin with a slight bow.

David watched as the elderly man spun about and briskly left the room, his feet echoing throughout the corridor before he faded into the darkness.

His attention instantly focused on the young woman. He watched as she silently glided across the room to the empty pedestal. Being sure to not make a sound, David snuck around the outer rim of the room to get a better view.

“I always heard stories of the prophecies” the young woman said to herself, “but never did I suspect they would actually come to pass. I never thought….”

David watched as she walked to the other side of the room examining the tapestries on the walls and lightly running her fingers across them. She seemed absorbed in them.

As he walked behind her, quickly slipping from behind one pillar to the next, his body began to tingle with anxiety. David was only a couple feet away from her now, so close he could almost grab her shoulder. She was quietly mumbling something to herself about the paintings and David noticed she was reading what looked like some foreign language.

“Here it is.” she said.

“The light for ages remains asleep, Forgotten it will become, Until the one arrives it seeks, Darkness will overcome.”

She read the script over and over to herself, trying to find any clues that would help her solve the mystery of the missing orb, but her efforts seemed fruitless. She continued on,

“The orb awakened will unite, The chosen one is found, Together they must lead the fight, The darkness shall be bound.”

As David listened to the woman read the passages, he felt a wave of nausea overcome him. He remembered the horrifying monsters from his vision and how they demolished the army of light. Was that to be his fate?

Am I this Chosen one? What does it mean “lead the fight”? he wondered. He was no warrior; he knew that much. This prophecy surely couldn’t be about him…. could it?

He closed his eyes and stooped down behind the pillar to gather his composure until the nausea lifted. When his stomach finally settled, he opened his eyes and his stomach dropped once again.

The young woman was standing before him with a small dagger pointing only inches from his throat.

“Who are you?” she said, a fierce look in her eyes.

“My name is David Bishop. I mean you no harm.” He slowly raised his hands upward to show he was unarmed.

“What are you doing here? Did you steal the orb?” she asked, narrowing her eyes, and jabbing her dagger threateningly toward his chest.

“I didn’t steal anything! I was just looking, I swear, but then something…. happened” he replied.

“What do you mean…?” she asked, her expression curious but skeptical.

He slowly overturned his hand to show her the orb imbedded in his flesh.

She gasped, “My God, the legends are true!” She slowly returned her dagger back to its sheath inside her robes and reached out as if to touch his hand, but then instinctively pulled it back.

“May I?” she asked. Her complete demeanor had