I was feeling merciful so I decided to post the last two chapters together. Aren't I nice? Read on and enjoy.
*Speechless*
Time seemed to have stopped. Not a single person, not even any of the thieves, moved the slightest inch. They were too riveted at what they saw atop the Psynergy stone, the small figure emanating a warm, comforting light. This was nothing any demon would be capable of, but far from the power any normal Adept would have either. What was it then? And what did it mean?
The leader of the bandits was the only one who seemed unfazed by the spectacle, keeping a tight grip on his trembling hostage. He made a move to climb the stone and dispatch the thing that had diverted attention away from his demands, but the golden light threw him a fair distance. Jenna was freed and she ran to her father for safety then looked back at Isaac, waiting for something to happen.
"Come on, boys!" the leader barked. "Let's take 'em now while they're all distracted!"
Some of his cohorts nodded in agreement and brought their swords back up. And then the golden light grew even brighter and the earth began to shake. Golden, feathered wings of light sprung from Isaac's back and the ground started to split open in several places. More golden light shot up from these cracks, which started to grow bigger and bigger, the ground shaking the whole while. The villagers scattered in panic, some of them fearing that this would be the end of them all. Only Kyle and Dora stayed frozen where they stood, gazing up at their son in a combination of wonder, pride, and fear.
As the thieves tried to advance amid the tremors, the light from the ground started surrounding each of them. Once one was trapped inside, he was sucked down into the cracks. Their howls could be heard clearly even over the quake, but the cries soon faded as each bandit seemed to fall all the way down to the core of the earth itself. When the very last brigand had been swallowed, the tremors gradually stopped and all the cracks healed up as if they'd never been there. The golden light spread out, enveloping the entire plaza, and extinguished each fire. Everyone then watched in stunned disbelief as the light slowly receded back to its source. For a few moments, their eyes were transfixed on the child with the angel's wings. But then the wings and the rest of the golden light vanished and Isaac slowly fell into the grass.
"Isaac!" his mother cried. Both of his parents rushed to his side, Dora pulling him into her lap. Isaac didn't stir, but his father cracked a small smile as he looked his son over.
"He's all right," he said quietly. "I think the poor guy's just worn out."
The villagers gradually gathered around the three of them. No one was sure of what had just happened, but one thing was certain--this boy was no demon.
"He saved us all," Simon whispered. "He saved Jenna and the entire village."
Slow nods of agreement passed around the citizens, but everyone was too stunned to speak for several more moments. It was Garet who finally broke the silence.
"See?" he inquired, puffing his chest. "We told you he wasn't a demon!"
"Now do you believe us?" Felix added.
The Great Healer regarded Isaac carefully, trying to find his voice. "What we have witnessed here tonight was nothing short of a miracle. Power such as that is unheard of in any adult, let alone a child."
"But what exactly was it?" Ida asked.
"I do not know," the Great Healer replied. "I only know that whatever it was, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in all my years of life. And that this child is a genuine hero."
Garet, Jenna, and Felix let loose squeals of delight. Their friend was a hero, and the three of them had been smarter than the adults had been! Their exuberant cries reflected what most of the other Valeans were feeling but were currently unable to express. Kyle and Dora, exhausted and proud, smiled down at the sleeping Isaac and made their way back home. The rest of the villagers watched them head up the hill, thinking and reflecting on all they'd seen this night.
By the following evening, things appeared more or less normal around the little house on the hill. Kyle was re-thatching part of the roof, which he'd intended to do earlier in the week, Dora was taking down laundry that had dried in the warm spring breeze, and Isaac was stalking frogs in the grass. He'd woken up that morning apparently as good as new in every respect and his parents marveled at his quick recovery, not to mention the very fresh memory of last night. They'd always believed he was a special child, but that word didn't come anywhere near to describing him now.
Isaac pounced in an effort to catch a croaking frog, but missed and skidded into the grass. He stood up and dusted himself off, the expression on his face one of annoyance.
"Too fast for you, huh?" Kyle asked from his spot on the roof. Isaac nodded, curling his lip slightly and crossing his arms in frustration. Then he sort of shrugged and went in search of a new creature to chase.
"Just please don't bring any of those slimy things into the house," Dora said. "The last thing I need is a bunch of reptiles hopping around my kitchen."
Isaac grinned at the thought of a bunch of frogs leaping in and out of his mother's pots and pans. Part of him almost wanted to see such a sight for himself, but he wasn't sure if he could catch the number of frogs needed, nor was he dumb enough to make his mother that angry. Still, it might be a funny thing to try on someone else someday.
A crowd of people was descending upon the house, and it looked like it was every person in the entire town. Garet, Jenna, and Felix ran up to Isaac and tackled him for a friendly greeting and the four of them rolled around in the grass. Isaac ended up sitting on top of Garet, much to his friend's dismay. The cluster of adults, the Mayor of Vale at the forefront, laughed at the antics of the small citizens.
"You're hopeless, Garet," Jenna teased.
"Hopeless and very clumsy," her brother added.
"Get off of me!" Garet scowled. Isaac did and helped his friend up. He looked somewhat cautiously at the Mayor and everyone else, wondering why they weren't saying anything or kicking stones at him. And they were all smiling! This wasn't something he was accustomed to.
"What's this all about?" Kyle asked as he climbed down the ladder. Dora went to join him and they both stood very close to their son just in case.
"Grandpa has something to say," said Garet. "Don't you?"
"Indeed I do," the Mayor said. "What I have to say is on behalf of everyone in Vale." He got down on one knee so he could be eye to eye with Isaac. "Thank you, Isaac. Your actions last night saved this entire town from those men. I don't how you did what you did, but I cannot tell you how grateful I am for what you've done for all of us. You're a true hero."
Isaac was astounded as the Mayor handed him a small but gleaming badge of honor. It wasn't much, just a round piece of bronze etched with words he couldn't read, but to Isaac, it meant more than anything he'd ever received from anyone. It was a good acknowledgment from the people who'd always hated him! The Mayor also wasn't referring to him as "that boy" or "the demon" but by his real name! Only his parents and friends did that. Did this mean the others didn't hate him anymore?
"Also," the Mayor continued. "We offer to you our apologies. We were wrong about you Isaac. You're not a demon--you're our savior! And we're sorry for every awful thing we ever did or said to you." He lowered his voice. "Perhaps I owe you the biggest apology of all, Isaac. I am truly ashamed of how I've treated you these past years. I was wrong, and I hope that somehow, someday, you can forgive me for my own ignorance."
Silence held for a brief moment, and then a wide, unimaginably happy grin crept across Isaac's face. He nodded vigorously and shook the Mayor's hand. After all this time, all this waiting and wondering, the people finally liked him! He couldn't even sort out how happy he was.
Kyle crossed him arms and smiled. "I'm glad to see you all came to your senses."
"It took us much longer than it should have," the Mayor admitted as he straightened himself. "And I apologize to you and Dora as well for the way I acted. I only hope that you won't be leaving us anytime soon."
"Not in this lifetime," Kyle laughed. "Thank you, Mayor."
"No, thank you and your son."
"You hear that Isaac?" Felix asked. "You're a hero!"
"And no one's going to stop us from playing together anymore," Jenna said.
"So we'll meet you in our spot tomorrow, OK?" said Garet. "Unless you're scared."
Isaac hit Garet in the shoulder, smiling, and then waved goodbye as they all returned to their residences for dinner. Tomorrow was already full of promise. He couldn't wait.
"Well, it's nice to see that they finally came around," Dora said. "I only wish it had happened sooner."
"Better late than never, I suppose," Kyle sighed with a helpless grin. "But at least it finally happened."
"Right. That's all that matters."
"Although I'm still puzzled about one thing."
"What's that?"
"That power Isaac demonstrated last night." He looked down at his son. "You, mister, never cease to surprise me. Just when I think I have you figured out, you do something totally unpredictable. Sometimes I have to wonder, what exactly are you, Isaac?"
Isaac met his father's gaze, grinning wildly the way only a five-year-old could.
"I am me."
Kyle and Dora both stumbled backwards, completely caught off guard. Had they heard what they just thought they heard? It took several moments for either one of them to recover enough to speak.
"Isaac…" Dora whispered. "You…you can talk!"
"Uh huh," he said very plainly, as if this sort of thing happened all the time. His mother slipped to her knees and hugged him, trying hard not to cry.
"I don't believe it!" she said. "You can actually talk!"
"How is this possible?" Kyle asked in disbelief. "When did this happen?"
"Just now," Isaac replied.
"It's a miracle!" Dora declared. "A real heaven-sent miracle!"
Kyle bent down and studied his son, still unable to believe that his ears weren't tricking him somehow. "You are just full of surprises, aren't you? But I don't understand. After all of this time, why now?"
Isaac looked at both of his parents, and his blue eyes suddenly seemed older than they had before. He smiled just a tiny bit, his sagely expression making him seem far wiser than the most ancient of men.
"Because they finally listened."
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I was originally going to end things here, but I realized there were some loose ends that needed tying up. I think the last chapter will clear up any questions you might have. If it doesn't, I'm a miserable failure as a writer and I should never set pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) ever again! ^^; Read on, my friends…