Everything Begins

Chapter 39

“This is not a choice! You are asking me to sacrifice a friend for the world! I cannot do that!”

You must.

“I cannot.” Frank fell to his knees and wanted to cry, but a sensation of peace drifted over and around him, and he took a deep breath.

You must. The voice drifted into silence, and Frank slowly stood. He looked back at the camp to where his friends were sleeping. Dinton, his best friend and the brother who had replaced the one he lost; Tero, who had become something of an uncle to him; Mathi, coming into a camp full of strangers and trusting them completely; and Sophyra, his heart. He could not imagine losing any of them, but he knew that there was more than one life in his hands. If he did not make the choice to lose one of them, the entire world could be destroyed.

He walked back to the fire and sat down with his legs crossed and his sword across his lap. He stared at it as he traced one finger up and down the blade. His father had given it to him on his twelfth naming-day. It