Legacy of the Golden Wielder

Chapter 12

Looking to give away a few free e-versions of Element Wielder over at Amazon. I just ask that you please leave a review. Let me know if you're intersted (send a private message).

If you catch any grammar mistakes that snuck past me, please point them out so I can fix them.

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Chapter 12

Aadi brought down his pickaxe on the rock once more, thinking about what Arajakata had told him the day before. Surely Arajakata had been mistaken. He was no savior. He couldn’t even save a group of a hundred men. How was he supposed to save an entire planet?

But then again, he had shown an affinity for earth wielding. Perhaps he could hone his skills and help out in some way. The only problem now was finding a place to train. He couldn’t do it in the cage; all the men were there. And he certainly couldn’t do it during work.

Fortunately, Arajakata had a solution in mind. Or at least he hoped he had. His plan was so daring that it might backfire and get them killed. But it was the only plan they had, and despite the dangers, Aadi knew he had to go for it.

He looked up at Arajakata, who was beating down a slab of rock with a pickaxe. Their eyes met. Aadi nodded, signaling he was ready. This was it. It was now or never.

Aadi threw down his pickaxe and marched up to the guard, who was standing tall with a whip in hand. Before the young guard could register what was happening, Aadi reached out and took the whip from the man’s hand.

“Maybe I should give you a beating with this so you know how it feels,” he lied. He held up the weapon as if going for a strike, hoping the guard would believe his bluff.

The guard smirked. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“Oh yes he would,” came Arajakata’s voice from behind him. He snatched the whip and proceeded to hit the guard. The man threw himself on the floor in a futile attempt to cover himself. The blows landed on his back, face, and legs.

“Stop that!” Aadi ordered, taking hold of the whip. “That’s enough.”

The guard stood, red faced and shaking in anger. “I’ll teach you both to raise your hand against a guard!” He picked up a large bell and rang it viciously, sending ringing sounds bouncing through the musky cave. Seconds later, a duo of out of breath guards appeared accompanied by the warden. Padstow smirked when he saw Aadi holding the whip.

The injured guard quickly filled in the warden of what had happened. 

Once finished, the very satisfied looking warden walked past Arajakata and stood directly before Aadi.

“Finally! You’re breaking. Resorting to treachery such as this.” He cackled and Aadi’s eyes watered as the rotten stench of the warden’s breath washed over him. “Take these two to crusher. Don’t take them out of there until tomorrow morning.”

“All day?” asked the stunned guard. “That’s certain death.”

“Let this be a lesson to the rest of you!” Padstow declared. “And for the next thirty days they will spend every night in the crusher.”

The guards led them deep into the cave. They took many paths that Aadi had never seen before. Despite his brave face, he couldn’t deny he was a tad nervous. He heard many stories of the crusher, but didn’t really know what to expect. Arajakata, on the other hand, seemed absolutely at ease. He hummed softly to himself as he moved down at a steady pace.