The Ways of Mages: Starfire

by Catherine Beery

  To the silent group Bendon said “that is the full prophecy from the original prophet himself.”

  “It’s longer than I remember.” Perela remarked. “Why don’t we have a full copy of it?”

  “What do you have it recorded on?” Kairevasigh asked. She had wondered this before, but had pushed it aside in the face of the crisis that the rebel army had been in. She had a suspicion that she knew why Pershara lacked the full prophecy.

  “Four stone pillars at the entrance of the Library of Thioden. There was a copy in front of the Vandenberg Library, but it has since been eroded by time.” Perela answered.

  Kairevasigh nodded. “Stone. Something changed it then.”

  As she talked, Duncan rubbed his temples. A memory of a dream taunted his conscious mind. Something important. Unaware of Duncan’s dilemma, Trevor asked how Kairevasigh’s version could be true.

  Karievasigh crossed her arms defensively. “It’s true because Kaizir told me. He is the one who wrote it.”

  That pesky memory finally became clear. “There will come a time, soon, when you and your friends will come across an old prophecy…” the voice of the man who had talked to Duncan on the road to Heaven echoed in his mind as it continued, “but what Pershara has is only half…Remember, everything is done in threes. Only an alliance with the Three will give your friends a chance against the Darkness. But to find them all you will need to find…”

  “Arathin.” Kairevasigh was saying to Trevor. “Kaizir was the King, Nirami, of Arathin. I was sent back in time and met him. He told me the prophecy. Then the pillars he had made of Kales Amie sent me here.”

  “Trevor.” Duncan said, stopping the other man from interrogating the girl more. “She is right.”

  Trevor’s eyes widened in surprise. “How…” the leader of His Majesty’s Royal Rangers gaped at Duncan.

  Perela reached out and touched his hand. “Dearest? What is wrong? You look pale.”

  Duncan looked at her. “Remember that bar fight in Mountview? Where we first met Tommy and I almost died?”

  Perela shuddered. “How could I forget?”

  “Well, there is something I never told you… not because I wanted to keep it from you but because I forgot till now.” He said quickly. He took a breath before continuing. “I was walking on a road between this world and Heaven. I met a man with copper hair and blue eyes with black and silver veins. He said his name was Kaizir. He told me to stop walking, that I needed to wait for you.” Duncan said to Perela.

  The memory of that moment was painful. She had almost lost Duncan. “Then I owe him a debt.” She said, remembering the fading light that had been the man she loved before she had been able to pull him back.

  “He also told me that Pershara did not have the full prophecy. I had no idea what he had been talking about at the time. I’m ashamed to say that I hadn’t remembered when we first discussed it in Vandenberg. Kaizir also talked about the Three.”

  “You did remember. Which is all that matters now. “ Kindra soothed.

  “So, who or what changed it?” Trevor asked.

  “Do you really need to ask that?” Bendon inquired. “The Enemy, probably. How can a prophecy be worked toward or fulfilled if it is unknown?”

  “Who are the children mentioned?” Cotey asked “And who are the Three?”

  “And what is with all the sword imagery?” Toliver asked.

  “Well, the children need to have a mix of dragon, mage, and royal blood.” Robert said. “Is that not a reason, after love, that Jewel and Gawin got married? She was royalty and a dragon. He was a mage. That would make their child the Child of Light.” He said looking between Bendon and Perela

  “Not necessarily.” Perela said looking at her hands. “When Gawin and the baby fell through time something happened to me.” She looked at Bendon. “I suffered from seizures.”

  “She did.” Bendon confirmed. After a moment he glanced at the rest of the group. “Both of us are powerful mages. Powerful enough to join the First Circle of Wizards. To enter, we needed to be cleansed of evil. Some of the elders had been worried that I had been too young to survive, but I had. Perela needed the procedure to live, the seizers had been so bad. She had been a young girl at the time… We were worried, but as you can see, she lives.”

  “Yes, but so does my evil self.” Perela said looking up. “Usually the evil in a person’s nature cannot survive on its own. But sometimes it can and must be killed. My evil side survived even the extermination. She is Altana. She and I are two sides of the same whole. I cannot be the Child of Light, for she is not the Child of Darkness. She was not conceived, but separated from me.

  “There is also the fact that she imprisoned Grim. There was a baby in that vision. That baby, I believe, was to be the Child of Darkness.”

  “But you could still be the Child of Light.” Kindra said.

  “No.” Perela said shaking her head. “I’m a child of the light, but I’m not the child in the prophecy. Now that I think about it, Jewel, my mother could have been the Child of Light. After all, you Kindra, were her mother. A dragon. And her father had been a king and those of the Holden line are mages. She was begotten by love, was she not?”

  Kindra nodded. She and Randolph had indeed loved each other.

  “If Jewel is, indeed, the Child of Light where is she?” Robert asked.

  “And where is Grim?” Duncan asked. “He had written to say that he had been sailing from Grinley weeks ago. Shouldn’t he be here?”

  A muffled groan caught Tommy’s attention. He glanced over in time to see Ryan slide down the wall covering his face with his hands. “Ryan?” He asked in concern. The rest of the group turned to see what was going on.

  “Not here, not now.” Ryan groaned as he trembled. His body resembled a board on the verge of snapping. Ryan’s knuckles were white as he clutched his hair. “Tyé.” He gasped. Kairevasigh stared at him. The word ‘mercy’ reminded her of home. The others stared at him as well. The word was Arathin. They had not expected a nineteen year old thief to know the ancient language. “Tyé, tyé.”Ryan muttered over and over again. A mantra as he curled into a tighter ball. Those nearest him reached out to him.

  Robert touched the young man’s shoulder. He quickly pulled away, his eyes flying to Kindra. “He is burning.”

  Kindra crouched in front of Ryan. “Ryan?” When the thief did not respond Kindra glanced up at her granddaughter who had touched her shoulder.

  “He is a Seer, mother dragon.” Perela said crouching next to her. “He warned us about the Fires. He was in pain then too.”

  “You think he is having a vision?” Robert asked.

  “It would seem so.” Perela replied.

  Kindra gazed thoughtfully at Ryan. She did not like seeing someone in pain. “Ryan.” She said, trying again. Trying to help him to come up out of the pain. She did not know the exact length of time the vision would hold him, but they needed to hear what he had to say. Ever since seeing the man she had felt that she knew him. His golden eyes had reminded her of the white Tree Gir. So, Kindra tried something new. “Firen?” Tommy startled, looking at her in puzzlement. He remembered the conversation they had had on the road about her distant relatives. He looked back at Ryan. The man’s condition had not changed. Kindra tried again. “Fieressen?”

  Ryan looked up, his eyes opened. “Damn!” Toliver swore.

  Ryan’s(or was it Fieressen’s?) eyes, were solid black. Like coals. He reached out and gripped Kindra’s arm in a lightning fast motion. “Cousin, fellow Daughter of Fire, the Star is in darkness…” The young man’s voice was no longer recognizable. It sounded as if it came from a long distance, but was still strong. “One of the Three hunts her, though he or she does not know it yet. The Star’s hope rests in the Daughter of Kings and Dragons. The Daughter of Kings and Dragons must find the Star, to hold it in balance. But Nightmare has been holding close to the Daughter. The King of Pershara must be strong enough to hold the Daughter to the Light in the
darkness of Arathin. But Arathin is shattering...the Catalyst started it…” The young man’s eyes bled back to gold. Ryan’s eyes were wide and he swore. He pulled away from Kindra and flung himself to the ground hiding his face.

  “Fieressen?” Kindra asked.

  “That is not my name! My name is Ryan.” He said through gritted teeth. Ryan pulled himself up to his feet using the wall and ignoring the helping hands. “Leave me alone. It hurts enough as it is.” He muttered. He walked away so he was on the other side of the room his back to them.

  “Ryan,” Kindra said calmly. Why he didn’t want to be known as Firessen she didn’t know. Perhaps it was truly not his name. But why, then, had he respond to it in the clutches of a vision? Regardless of what his name was or had been, she needed him to tell them everything he had seen. “Tell us about your vision.”

  “I told you.” Was the sharp reply. Pain added acid to his tone.

  “Yes and no. What do your words mean?” She asked.

  Ryan sighed. He bowed his head for a moment before turning back to them. His expression was once again that of the young cultured thief they knew well. He smiled, though pain kept his dark sun bronzed skin pale. “I saw a red haired woman with jewel green eyes, Jewel yes? At a sea side town that is not on this continent. She is older now. She has been lost in time since before Arathin’s fall.”

  Bendon gasped. Records said that Arathin had crumbled into war two thousand years ago. All attempts to see what had happened had failed, a barrier cutting them off. “Jewel.” Bendon said, his heart in his throat. His love had been sent back, not just in time, but in space.

  Ryan noticed Bendon’s pallor. “Yes, ‘he who is lost’, with no way to know if you are alive or where you are. No idea how far back she had gone or where she was at first. She knows now. But she had no way to find you. Nightmare has been feeding on her, giving her glimpses of you.” Ryan closed his eyes. “Nightmares, really. Of you covered in blood, a baby in your hands... The stairs of a library....”

  “Father! Thioden!” Perela said her hands reaching out to the old wizard.

  Bendon stared stricken at Ryan. “How do you know this?”

  Ryan crossed his arms before saying. “I’m a Seer. I Saw it just now. It is up to King Thomas to help Jewel find the Light again.” He said continuing his previous thought.

  “What about that bit about the Star and Arathin shattering because of the Catalyst?” Cotey asked.

  Ryan tilted his head thoughtfully. “The Star is a symbol of hope. There is a chance that the Star could be the Child of Light. At the very least, whoever they are, they are important for one of the Three of Three: The Star’s Sword.” Ryan glanced about the circle of people. “I would hazard a guess that to find Jewel, the Star and the Star’s Sword, one must find a way to Arathin.”

  “To get there, we will have to find a way to get past the Barrier.” Bendon said.

  “Well, we know it can be done.” Robert said, looking pointedly at Kairevasigh. The girl ducked her head embarrassed that everyone was looking at her.

  “And there is the fact that we know both Thomas and Jewel are over there.” Kindra pointed out, drawing attention away from Kairevasigh.

  “Yes, Jewel we know traveled via the transporter machine Robert and Gawin built in South Port. Kairevasigh traveled similarly from Arathin. But how did Thomas end up in Arathin?” Robert asked.

  “The Barrier Maelstrom.” Cotey answered tapping his chin. “Sailors of Grinley learned of its existence a few hundred years ago. No one knew what was on the other side and any who got caught in it never were seen again.”

  “That’s because they died.” Toliver replied.

  Cotey shrugged. “Maybe, but maybe not. Our sailors have long since used the currents stirred up by the maelstrom to navigate between Grinley and Pershara’s western ports. The Lucky Blue Wing would have taken that route, as it would take them close to this fair city. There is a possibility that the maelstrom transported them. We know they are there, thanks to Ryan.”

  After a brief silence of thought Duncan spoke up. “We know it is possible, but we can’t leave Pershara.” Duncan said. Looking at him, one could tell how much it hurt for him to say what he did. He looked around. “We can’t leave in the middle of a war. If we do, there will be no one to keep the Darkness from winning.” Duncan took a breath before continuing. “Pershara needs us, her mages, warriors, and thieves to defend her from Raymond and the Dark Kin.”

  “Bravely said.” Ryan said into the silence of the room. “He is right. All cannot leave, some perhaps, but not all. After all, there is a strong chance one would not make it to Arathin. Time and space travel is a risky business. One might not end up in the right time or place.”

  “That may be, but there must be a way to communicate with Jewel and Grim to tell them to keep their eye out for this Star and the Three of Three.” Bendon said.

  Robert touched the mage’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “Don’t worry, old friend, we will find a way. After all, we did it once before." He said, reminding Bendon of the temporal and space traveling device they had constructed when Bendon had been Gawin.

  Chapter Twenty-three–The Keep’s Inn

  Arathin- Ronrend, Marlhema

  “What is that?”Terana asked. A few days had past since they had entered the plains. Night was spreading its fingers across the sky. The companions had traveled on through the day, stopping for meals and continuing on. Eventually they arrived to a large road that Kadrean called the Orsair. In the distance they could see the sparkling gray of water. And on the other side of that glinting ribbon was a huge structure. Or many structures all smashed together…Terana couldn’t tell. The place had places that disappeared into the darkness of night while other places glowed orange. Terana turned to Kadrean. To her surprise, he looked somewhat grim.“Kadrean? What is it?”

  Kadrean turned to her with a grimaced smile.“That, Terana, is the City of Ronrend. Home city of his honorable lordship, Lord Carisda.”Kadrean stressed the word honorable too much for it to be a sincere.

  “You don’t like this Lord Carisda?”

  Zeeve snorted.“What’s to like? He lives up to his name; a hidden shard.”Zeeve wadded up some of Tivieis’s mane like a normal sized man would collect the reigns.“Let’s just say, Terana, that there are many not so nice words to describe LordCarisda.”

  “Come on.”Kadrean gestured for them to keep going.“At least there is an inn we can stay at. I don’t know about anyone else, but I would like to sleep in a bed for a change.”

  “Sounds good.”Liam agreed.

  Ronrend was huge. Terana was small. And she felt small. Mouth wide, she gaped at the tall wood buildings on either side of the cobbled road. Even at night there were still people hurrying about. Granted, probably fewer then during the day, but still more then were out at Plarn at the same time.

  Kadrean led them through a confusing series of turns. Terana soon lost all sense of direction. She stuck close to Tivieis’s side so she wouldn’t get left behind. Liam stood on the other side of Tivi, his eyes just as busy as her own. Terana watched those people she could see flit in the shadows.

  “Many thieves here?”She asked quietly.

  “It’s a city. Of course.”Zeeve replied.“Just stay close to the horse.”

  If it was possible, she did so. Tivieis snorted.“Sorry.”She whispered to the horse. A low growl alerted her to Russy’s interest in the shadows. Russy’s disguise now was that of a guard dog. To his pleasure, he didn’t have to wear the leash, but he did have to take a collar. Terana ran her fingers through the wolf’s fur near his ear. An amber eye glanced her way before continuing to watch the shadows.

  Eventually, Kadrean stopped in front of a walled building. Over the gate an old sign creaked. Terana could just make out the words 'Keep’s Inn'. Kadrean moved his hand over the lock and it snitched open. He glanced at Terana.

  “Tis the only way to unlock it.” Terana nodded at his explanation. Kadrean wasn’t
the type to go sneaking around stealing things, she could sense that much. And, besides, magic being used to unlock the gate made sense if the‘Keep’in the name was the same as Razyan’s Keep.

  To Terana’s surprise, the common room was empty. The inn at Lancha at this time had been overwhelmingly busy at this hour. Where were the customers? Forget that, where were people in general? A small fire burned on its nest in the stone fireplace. It was the only light in the room. Circular tables dotted the room, but there didn’t seem to be a single soul around. Terana looked at Kadrean, trying to see from his expression if this was normal. Kadrean’s eyes were locked on the fire.

  Pacing slowly, he approached the fireplace. Terana, curious, followed him. Perhaps there was something on the fireplace? A note saying where people had gone? Terana shook her head at her silliness. It was an inn. Why would anyone leave a note? The hour was late, and by the appearance of the room, the place saw very little custom. The inn keeper had probably gone to bed. Kadrean didn’t seem concerned by the lack of people…well he didn’t seem worried at least.

  Closer to the fireplace, Terana could see carvings in the stone. With a curious finger she traced the intriguing squiggles. She could see symbols in the squiggles and each seemed to fall in a chain down the stone. A nagging feeling told her it was writing. Old writing by how faded some of the markings were.

  “Blaano.” Terana blinked and looked toward Kadrean who had spoken. He was peering at the flames expectantly.

  Liam approached.“Kadrean?”His voice conveyed the same puzzlement that Terana herself had. Liam glanced between Kadrean, who hadn’t moved yet, to the fire and back again.“oh…”His voice resumed its normal dreamy cadence.

  “What?”Terana finally asked. Liam only smiled knowingly

  “Blaano, come on.”Kadrean said.“It is Kadrean, if you are blind.”

  “Not blind.”A deep voice said defensively. Terana blinked as a flame pulled itself away from the rest of the fire.“Just sleeping.”At each syllable, the flame pulsed. Kadrean backed slowly away. Terana and Liam followed his example. The flame grew in size until it was roughly that of a man. The fire slowly receded from his body. Terana stared at the man in shock. Quickly she hid her eyes with a groan; the man was stark naked.“Sorry, little miss. Kadrean, could you hand me my robe?”Terana heard Kadrean move, a rustle of cloth. Then“I’m decent now.”