The Rightful King

Who would have thought that a simple purchase would bring nothing but death and destruction? Hathem's breath fogged up the glass of his mechanical chariot as it raced down the bumpy road. The velvet that covered the inside of the carriage did little to calm him.

The bright morning sky soared overhead. The cherry song of birds was drowned out by the loud bang that rang through the air. Dirt sprayed up and bounced off the glass windows with a small clank. Hathem’s heart clawed at his ribs, desperate to get out.

"We have to talk about it," Gideon said as if they were discussing dinner. He counted the glowing blue bullets in his hand before sliding them into the magazine of his gun. Hathem shook his head. The raging war outside told him to keep quiet.

A package sat in the seat next to him, unassuming. Plain, brown paper was wrapped tightly around the book as if it could conceal the evil within.

"I didn't mean for all this to happen," Hathem said, running a hand through his greasy hair.

"Of course not," Gideon said with a scoff, "no one ever wants things like this to happen, but it is happening, and we need to figure it out."

"It is a book! I bought it in a bookstore! Who would put something so important in a bookstore?"

"I will not talk to you if you yell like that." Gideon opened the window and shot out of it.

They sat there for an entirety. Gideon’s head was out the carriage window, shooting at their pursuers.

Hathem couldn’t wrap his head around it. The man was far too calm in the situation.

They hadn't known silence in the last five days. The bombs, gunfire, and death burned themselves into his mind. Hathem's nails dug into his arms, reminding him that he was awake.

"I picked it up… and a bright light rushed out from the book. After that, you showed up and stopped those guys from killing me. Why is this happening?"

"That's better," Gideon said as he slid back into the carriage. He rubbed the stubble on his chin and puffed out his chest.

“The book holds the answers to a question everyone has been asking since the dawn of time, and you are now considered its protector."

"I don't want it."

"It's not your choice."

"There is always a choice! I could throw it into a river and never have to mess with it again."

Gideon's laugh pierced Hathem's ears; the cherry sound was out of place. Gideon was like that, though. He was a walking contradiction; everything he did was wrong. He was too large for how soft he spoke, his eyes too kind for the horrors Hathem witnessed him do. His hands were too clean for the blood that should be dripping from them.

"If you throw that book into the river, we are all doomed. Hathem, you were chosen to protect this book. I can't fathom why, but this is what you were born to do. This makes you the rightful king, you know? Fate and all that nonsense," Gideon rolled his eyes, "I don't pretend to know, but you are it. It all stands on you."

"That's not fair."

"Sense when was anything fair? You lost everything, there for you have nothing left to lose. Why not give it a shot? You could surprise yourself."

"…I must be a damn fool," Hathem said.

He pulled the wrapped book into his lap. The carriage's walls rushed to enclose him, cutting off his oxygen. His vision swirled as the smell of chrysanthemums drifted from the pages. The book was heavy for how small it was.

With shaking hands, Hathem reviled the intricate designs etched into red-brown leather. Golden triangles sat in the corners of the cover. They were adorned with the bluest sapphires Hathem had ever seen. White light pulsated from the pages, flooding the carriage.

Gideon leaned forward; his attention was glued to the devil. Hathem's hand hovered over the cover.

"So, I should open it again?" A smile spread on Gideon's face.

"That is a risk you will have to take.”