Staff of Shigmar: Chapter 18, Part 6

14 August 2026

We welcome all our readers back for the newest installment from the second book of The Redemption series, Staff of Shigmar. We rejoin Klaybear, Blakstar, and Thal as they escape from the cage and punish their jailers. . . . (9 November 2015) We remind all readers that this book, Staff of Shigmar, as also the first book, is free for download from Smashwords! Glossary links: Book 2, Book 1

Chapter 18, Part 6

The purem guarding the cage were momentarily stunned when they turned and saw the cage burst open; those who were immediately behind the wagon were crushed to the ground by the remains of the cage top. Thal saw his two companions grab their weapons and leap off the wagon to the right and left, so he turned around and shot bolts of white fire at the guards struggling to get out from under the cage top. Blakstar leapt off the wagon straight at the puri who had taunted them, hissing through clenched teeth: “You’ve made your last mistake!” Will-giver whistled through the air surrounded by golden fire, neatly removing the puri’s head, the face wearing a startled look; the other three purem on that side did not have time even to block before Blakstar had cut them to pieces. On the other side of the wagon, Klaybear used breath-giver, surrounded by green light, to parry the feeble attempts to attack him, crushing four skulls, one after another, with four swift strokes. Thal blasted the two remaining behind the wagon with white fire, knocking them from their feet, and before they could get up, the kortexi and kailu were there, depriving them of further breath. Blakstar and Klaybear backed up to the wagon, looking all around for the rest of the company. They stood silent and ready, not moving for several minutes, listening intently until they were startled by the sounds of someone crashing through trees and underbrush.

Out of the trees and brush at the edge of the road, almost along the same path they had followed previously, crashed the ponkolu, hands holding the left side of his face; blood leaked from between his fingers, blood that smoked in the cool air of late afternoon. He stopped short, seeing the wagon empty, the cage in ruins, and his comrades sprawled upon the ground, their spilled blood beginning to steam and smoke. Blakstar leaped toward the ponkolu, will-giver held high and ready to descend, splitting the skull of the surprised ponkolu. He held still, as if waiting for the death hurtling toward him, dodging sideways out of the kortexi’s way even as Blakstar sliced down. The ponkolu removed his hands from his face and opened a black archway. Before he stepped through and disappeared, they clearly saw that the left side of his face had been sliced open, destroying his left eye. Although falling forward as a result of encountering no resistance to his sword stroke, Blakstar managed to twist and alter his swing, raking the tip of his sword across the ponkolu’s back, causing him to shriek in pain, a shriek cut-off when the black archway closed. Blakstar crashed onto the ground, disappearing for several moments in the underbrush. As he extricated himself from the underbrush, a new voice startled them and caused him to whip around, will-giver coming up to attack the newcomer.

“Hold, chosen!” came a voice from in front of Blakstar, but it was not a harsh, puri voice, rather it was soft and melodic, like a breeze gently shaking the trees. A tall, alabaster-skinned figure stepped out of the trees, holding up his right hand, palm toward them, in the symbol of parlay.

Thal raised one eyebrow. “I had understood that the vedem had a policy of non-interference with the other races.”

“Your information is correct,” the musical voice of the vedi replied. He was at least two feet taller than Thal, who was the tallest of the three, with hair like golden sunshine. His eyes were deep blue and his ears pointed. He carried a bow, longer then the bows they had seen carried by their seklesi companions, with a quiver of arrows slung over his back. The sleeveless vest and breeches he wore were feathered, his knee boots of leather and colored golden brown. A long curved dagger hung from his belt. “I am Neflo, son of Nefli, leader of the vedi contingent sent to aid the chosen of the One. I have words that I must give to you, the words of our seers. Grab your things, and your mounts, and follow me.” He turned and passed back under the trees.

The three companions exchanged looks, then grabbed their packs and belts, untied their horses from the wagon, and led them in the direction the vedi had gone. Blakstar detoured to the front of the wagon, releasing the brake and slapping the nearest horse, starting the wagon moving again, then followed the others into the trees. They found the vedi waiting a short way under the trees. When all three of them approached, Neflo held up both hands in greeting.

“We have destroyed the purem who held you captive,” Neflo began, “and I think we owe you some explanation of why we have broken our policy of isolation. Our seers knew over twenty of your years ago, that the first of the chosen had been born into the world, and that events were moving toward a foreseen confrontation. A few years before the first chosen was born, the seers saw that we must come to the aid of the chosen at this moment else all races would be enslaved under Gar’s rule. We obeyed the seers, although with much reluctance. We were also instructed to give you a warning.”

“A warning?” Thal asked, one eyebrow rising slowly.

Neflo nodded to Klaybear. “A warning about breath-giver: our seers have seen that it will cause great damage to our world; you must return it to the tomb for safe-keeping without using it.”

“Without using it?” Klaybear said. “We cannot; we were told that it is the only way we can save Shigmar.”

Neflo shook his head. “You will not save the city with breath-giver; you will destroy it, as surely as the armies come against the city will destroy it, but many will survive. You must go into the city and lead the survivors away. The seklesi army is trapped within the pass and will not come before the city is destroyed. Your only hope is to save the people.”

“Shigmar told us the only way to save the people is with his staff,” Klaybear countered.

“Also,” Thal added, “we have been told that the staff is necessary to end Gar’s rule; we need the staff for that.”

“That ending may not happen for many years,” Neflo retorted, “even our seers cannot see when that will occur.” He looked at Klaybear. “How do you know that it is the only way to save the city? Have you, personally, explored all possibilities? Using the staff will bring a terrible burden upon your head; the seers have seen this, and we know that you have not explored other options, and that you do not have to pay this terrible price. Even your first kailu himself could not see other possibilities.”

Klaybear and Thal both raised their eyebrows. “How do you know that?” Klaybear asked.

“All wethem are blinded by their choices,” the vedi replied, “even Shigmar himself was blinded by his choices, by the things he chose not to see.”

“What didn’t he see?” Klaybear asked.

“Not what he didn’t see,” Neflo replied, “but what he saw and refused to recognize.”

“What did he refuse to recognize?” Thal asked.

“Only he could tell,” the vedi replied.

“Then how are you so sure that he did?” Thal pressed.

“It is the flaw of all wethem,” Neflo replied, “the flaw in your makeup that makes you such easy prey to evil, so quick to turn from the good. Have you not seen this flaw for yourselves, in the way you have been treated by those who should be aiding you, because of the marks you all wear, marred as you are by Gwondreu himself?” He paused to look down at each of them. “One’s destiny can be changed by choosing a different destiny, by choosing not to accept it.”

They looked at him, stunned by his words.

Neflo raised one hand. “This is what we have come to tell you; we exhort you to take the staff back and not use it to save your city. For the sake of the people, for your own sakes, do not use this terrible power of breath-giver.” Without waiting for them to respond, Neflo turned and disappeared into the shadows under the trees like a rush of wind through the branches.

Next Monday we will start a new chapter–the final chapter in this book–continuing to follow these three as they mount the nearby hill and see that the battle for Shigmar is going poorly for the defenders, and Klaybear unleashes the terrible power of Shigmar’s staff. Until then, get a full ebook copy from Smashwords for free! If you prefer print, purchase your copy from the link provided. Good reading!