Undying

When it comes to cheating death, Zach isn't unique, different, but not unique.

I was sitting in the The Stalkers' Rest when a woman came up to my table. "I am Ornot's woman." I looked at her, "I do not know Ornot."

"But he knows you, you saved his life. I wish to do something to repay our debt."

"No need, I was just doing my job."

"Even so, the debt must be paid."

I watched her a moment then nodded.

"Come with me."

She led me out of town to some caves. We wound through them so long I felt lost. Finally, she stopped and sat down on the ground. She motioned and I sat down in front of her. She took an uale plant from her cloak and held it up to me. "I will seek a vision for you." She placed the uale in her mouth and ate it. She took my head in her hands and stared deeply into my eyes. Soon her eyes glazed over and she began to moan. This went on for some time and then she slumped to the ground. She was breathing as if she slept.

When she awoke she sat up quickly. She stared at me with fear in her eyes. "What are you?" she whispered.

"What did you see?"

"You will die... but you will not die. I know no more."

The people began watching me... from a distance. Very few came to my training sessions. We were losing our effectiveness as a fighting unit. Each battle was harder won than the last.

The old man came to me. "It is time for you to go. Your strangeness frightens them."

"Aye."

He found me on Harry's World... in a tavern. I stared at him. He did not move. "How do you keep finding me old man?"

"I have another job for you. Same price." Something told me not to do it, but I had to find out more about this man. "Done."

Hakkan Pakke... a barren rocky world crisscrossed with deep fissures. It was hard to imagine people lived there, but they did. Some of the fissures held water and vegetation, and there they lived in caves in the rock face. I sat in a well-lit cave with the old man. "What would anyone want with this place?"

"This fissure holds a rich illium deposit."

"I understand."

"These people are not fighters, they may not learn in time, but we must try."

I nodded.

He was right... they were not fighters and they were slow to learn. They would not be ready.

I spent the times of waiting in The Raptor. This was an illium war... the odds would be terrible against seasoned fighters... I could die here. The woman's vision haunted me. What did she mean by "not die"? Did the vision have any meaning? They were willing to die for their visions.

The first assault was not too bad... they were testing us. The next would be much worse.

We were fighting among the rocks when I jolted with surprise. I saw a man with eyes like mine. I fought my way over to him and engaged him. He was good... he wounded me twice before I could draw blood. One thrust nearly took me in the stomach... I stepped aside and took a deep cut to the side. I dropped to a knee. He smiled and arced his blade at my head... I ducked under his blade and thrust up taking him in the chest. My blade stuck and he fell back. I stood over him. I saw death in his eyes. "Where are you from?"

"Earth." His final words. I pulled my blade from his chest and took his head.

The old man was waiting for me by my ship. "Your time here is done."

"I haven't earned my two million."

"You did what you were brought here to do."

"They will all die in the next assault..."

"Why die with them?"

"How do you keep finding me old man? How do you know the things you do? Why me?"

He walked away.

Earth... a beautiful world of many colors. Great expanses of land... even greater expanses of water. I traveled the land for months. Crowded cities... wide countrysides. Nowhere did I see anyone with eyes like mine. No one had seen such... no one knew of the Galach.

He found me the third time on Waku. I didn't bother asking how. "The same deal."

I nodded.

Another world... another case of the strong preying on the weak. Nothing new, but I will remember Oratha the rest of my life.

I'd never fought in this kind of snow before. It never stopped snowing. Visibility was terrible... the footing was worse. The cold went right through to the bones. It was even worse in the mountains.

We were fighting in the mountains. A blast of air blew snow into my eyes. When they cleared an immense fighter was on me. I didn't have time to react... his sword ran me through the stomach. Darkness fell over me.

Endless water, a tree and the old man. On the shore a boat. I felt drawn to the boat and started moving toward it. The old man stepped in front of me. "It is not your time, you have much to do," he spoke and then walked away. Darkness returned.

I awoke to light streaming through a window. The old man was sitting next to my bed. "You awake."

"How long have I been out?"

"12 days."

I nodded. I felt no pain... I didn't understand. I looked down... no bandages... smooth skin. "What happened?"

"You died."

The woman's vision... "It can't be."

"Even so, it was."

I stared into his eyes. "You were in my dream..."

"Aye." Before I could ask how, he left the room.

Excerpt from Paintr's Journal by S.E.Estes