Ascendants of Ancients Sovereign - By Phillip Jones Page 0,62

explanations. I’m not sure your mind is ready to hear what I have to say. We should come back to these particular matters once you have had the proper series of moments for your mind to adjust. I trust this would be acceptable, yes?”

Sam thought a moment. “I don’t need to be coddled. I want to have this conversation before you leave. For now, we’ll do it your way. I trust this would be acceptable, yes?”

Bassorine grinned and motioned for Sam to continue.

Sam shrugged, and then changed course. “I have plenty of other questions. First, what is the situation regarding the Crystal Moon?”

The god nodded, carried a chair across the room, placed it by the window, and then looked through the opening. “The Village of Angels has the potential to be a perfect starting point for your rise to glory, but we’ll speak of this later.

“The situation regarding the Crystal Moon is unique. The others within the Collective have not been able to find Lasidious. It was my hope that the gods would come together and vote on how these new events were to be handled once Lasidious was located, but he has managed to remain elusive. I’m disturbed by this, to say the least.”

Sam splashed another handful of water on his face. “I’m not sure what to say, but this does create additional concerns. May I share them with you?”

“Sam, don’t ask for permission, for I’m here to speak without formalities.”

“Sounds good to me.” Sam dried his hands. “My biggest concern is ... the Crystal Moon is what keeps the worlds from colliding. Your statue said the crystal provides the planets with the ability to sustain life. You said if the Crystal Moon wasn’t retrieved and put back in the temple, everything would be destroyed. How long do we have before this happens?”

Bassorine looked away from the window. “There is no way to determine this quantity of moments. The Crystal Moon has governed the worlds for over 10,000 seasons.”

Sam jumped in, “But don’t you have an idea of how long it will be before the worlds start to drift? And what will happen when they do?”

“It’s impossible to tell. Once the planets begin to drift, changes will be subtle at first, but they’ll eventually magnify. The Crystal Moon has been governing the worlds for so long that the Collective doesn’t have a reference to judge what will happen. It is, as you would say on your Earth, ‘a crap shoot.’”

Sam’s anxiety was building, but more than that, he was annoyed that the gods would not know the exact answers to his questions. Maybe these “so-called” gods were just powerful enough to screw with things on a cosmic level and nothing more. Or perhaps he needed to redefine his personal definition of what god meant.

Sam calmed himself. “Is there anything I can do while I wait for you to tell me where the Crystal Moon is? I hate just sitting around. Shouldn’t I be preparing to retrieve it?”

Bassorine shook his head. “I cannot say with confidence that you’re the best man to retrieve the crystal. In light of these new events, you lack certain requirements. You’re not of noble blood, nor do you have the fame necessary to gain an audience with kings. Only kings are influential enough to resolve a situation of this magnitude. Kings can control wars, and wars will erupt because of the theft of the Crystal Moon.”

The god sighed. “Your flaws are most unfortunate. I was looking forward to your rise to glory.”

Sam had had enough. He was tired of being controlled simply because he did not have the power to stand against Bassorine. He was not about to let his life be dictated to him without a fight.

“Okay, okay, hold up! It was the gods’ bright idea to bring me here!” Sam barked. “Now that I am, you’re telling me I’m not good enough. I understand what’s involved. I’m not an idiot. I understand you’ll want to keep the theft of the Crystal Moon confidential. Your ‘so-called’ Collective will have a mess on their hands if the people find out the Crystal Moon is gone. Their belief in you will fade once they know you can’t stop the planets’ destruction.”

Sam crossed his arms. “You said I could speak freely. So tell me why you’re not powerful enough to stop this disaster yourself.”

Bassorine laughed. “You’re bold when given permission. Perhaps I should have chosen my words more carefully. It took 14 of us to create the